DISINFO: France detained Telegram app founder Durov on US orders
SUMMARY
France does not benefit from Durov’s detainment. It is not an independent country; the US is controlling many events. The decision to detain Telegram’s founder was made in the US.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. There is nothing indicating that the US is involved in any way in the arrest of Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov.
France is a sovereign country and this disinformation story aims to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about lost sovereignty and other Western countries as US vassals. Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets frequently accuse the US of being behind all kind of events and developments around the world, without providing any evidence.
French authorities have imposed charges against Pavel Durov for 12 different crimes, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography and the selling of drugs, money laundering, and a refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. One of the main charges is Telegram’s inability to prevent sex crimes against minors on the platform.
See earlier disinformation cases claiming that the West arrested Telegram app founder Durov because it failed in its fight against Russia, that the real reason for Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest is to cover up events in Palestine, that protests in Venezuela are financed by Washington, and that the US Deep State is behind Ukraine’s suspension of oil deliveries to Hungary.