Russia warns France over Telegram founder's detainment, suggests it may be politically motivated

Russia on Tuesday issued words of caution to France over its detainment of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, suggesting the move may be politically motivated.

On Saturday, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office issued a warrant for Durov's arrest over an investigation opened on July 8 into organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, and the distribution of pornographic images of minors on the platform.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on a Tuesday call with journalists urged Paris to provide evidence to support its allegations against Durov, Reuters and Russian state news agency Tass reported.

"The charges are very serious indeed," Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters-translated comments. "They require a no less serious basis of evidence. Otherwise they will be a direct attempt to limit freedom of communication."

Peskov suggested that Durov's arrest could be viewed as both restricting freedom of speech and an act of intimidation if France fails to provide serious evidence of his guilt, Reuters and Tass reported.

Although born in Russia, Durov holds citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates. Peskov indicated that Russia still considers him a citizen, however, and that the country stands ready to support him with necessary assistance — although Peskov admitted the situation was complex.

On Tuesday, the UAE said in a statement it had submitted a request to French officials offering Durov diplomatic assistance "in an urgent manner," and was "closely following the case."

Following the arrest of Durov, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X Monday that the decision to detain him was not a political move but part of an independent investigation and that his country "is deeply