Why the Russian Government Is 'Fuming' Over the Arrest of Telegram Founder

Telegram as a Communication Tool Among Russian Soldiers
Also Used as an Official Government Channel... Difficult to Replace

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

As French judicial authorities arrested Pavel Durov, the founder of the social networking service (SNS) Telegram with 900 million users worldwide, the Russian government has reacted strongly in an unusual manner, drawing attention to the background of the incident. Durov had previously left Russia in 2014 following conflicts with the government, and it is known that Russian authorities had been trying to secure his whereabouts.

Some analysts suggest that the Ukraine war lies behind France's arrest of Durov and Russia's backlash. Currently, Telegram is widely used as a primary communication tool by Russian troops and intelligence agencies in the context of the Ukraine war, raising concerns that Western countries might access key Russian military secrets through Durov.

Russian backlash over Pavel Durov's arrest: "Consular access is also being denied"

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 26th (local time), Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed dissatisfaction during a press briefing, stating, "We sent a letter requesting consular access to Durov, but France refused to cooperate," adding, "France cited the fact that Durov holds French nationality as the primary reason for refusal."

Durov was urgently arrested by French police on the 24th while arriving at Bourget Airport in France. French judicial authorities arrested and detained him on charges that, despite Telegram being a hotbed for drug trafficking, cyberbullying, terrorism, and child sexual crimes, Durov, as CEO of Telegram, neglected to prevent these activities.

Since news of his arrest broke, the Russian government has strongly protested. Russia emphasizes that Durov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, criticizing France for arbitrarily detaining him. However, the French government insists that Durov acquired French nationality in 2021 and is proceeding with his detention and investigation. Durov holds four nationalities: Russian, French, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saint Kitts and Nevis, a Caribbean island nation.

Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing the Russian government's demand to hand over information on domestic anti-government protesters. Since then, he has mainly used his UAE nationality to travel between countries, and his place of residence remains unclear.

Telegram as a wartime communication tool beyond SNS... Expected to impact Russian troops

[Image source=TASS Yonhap News]

The reason Russia is reacting so strongly to Durov's arrest is that Telegram is extensively used as a primary communication tool by soldiers and intelligence agencies in the Ukraine war. The securing of Durov by France raises the possibility that Western countries could uncover key Russian military secrets.

The New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "Telegram is even used as a command and control tool by Russian soldiers participating in the Ukraine war," adding, "More than half of Russians receive war news, air raid alerts, and related videos all through Telegram." Although the Russian government previously attempted to crack down on Telegram, it now utilizes the highly secure messenger and even uses it as an official government announcement channel.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also analyzed, "The Russian government is recruiting intelligence agents operating in Europe through Telegram," and "Securing Durov himself will be a valuable asset for Western intelligence agencies attempting to decrypt Telegram's encrypted communications."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.