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 CEO and founder 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.