On Telegram, Russian pro-war channels continue to dissect the latest information about Pavel Durov. Since the founder and boss of the most widely used messaging platform in Russia, particularly in defense circles, was arrested on Saturday evening, August 24, in Paris, the real-fake military experts and “war correspondents” have continued to defend him. One after the other, they have called for his release, relayed the sites selling T-shirts “#freedurov” and published a photo of a shell which, bearing his name in black letters, was clearly intended for the enemy in the West.
On Monday, August 26, these “Z” chains, a letter symbolizing support for the “special military operation” The Kremlin's press in Ukraine, certainly had to focus on the news of the day, the massive Russian attacks across the neighboring country. But the statements from Paris in the evening by the public prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, quickly put the pro-war Telegram back into turmoil: “Durov charged with 12 crimes”quickly titled Operation Z, a channel of “Volunteers and correspondents of the “Russian Spring””. A radical way of presenting the statement of the public prosecutor: Pavel Durov, whose custody has been extended until Wednesday, August 28, is suspected of “laundering of crimes or offences by an organised gang” but also of “refusal to communicate, upon request from the authorized authorities, the information or documents necessary for the carrying out and exploitation of interceptions authorized by law”.
Regardless of the suspicions weighing on the 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire in France and elsewhere in the world, Russian networks are bubbling with rumors. Paris is said to be acting under orders from Washington in view of the American presidential election in November, in order to bring Telegram, popular across the Atlantic, under control; Paris is said to be worried about Pavel Durov's links with Azerbaijan, where he had just spent a few days and where, according to a rumor denied by the Kremlin, he even met the Russian president, Vladimir Putin; Paris is said to have real personal grievances against the founder of Telegram. Whatever the version, the conclusion remains the same: “Freedom of speech is being suppressed in Europe.” “We live in a world where George Orwell's ideas have completely triumphed”regrets Boris Rojine, on Colonelcassad, one of the most popular military channels on Telegram.
Vladimir Putin, for his part, has made no public comment. But his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has set the tone. Clearly lacking information from Paris, the Kremlin has sought appeasement. “We do not know specifically what Durov is accused of. Before saying anything, we must wait until the situation becomes clearer.” (…). Without this, it would probably be inappropriate to make any statements whatsoever.”Mr. Peskov tempered. As a result, pro-Kremlin television and media outlets were less aggressive in their coverage of the news concerning Durov on Monday, August 26. But, coincidence? Announced on the same day, the start of the trial of Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, a collaborator of a Swiss NGO, arrested in early June in Russia for not having declared himself “foreign agent”was set for September 3.
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Source: Lemonde
