DISINFO: UAE freezes contract to buy fighter jets from France over Durov's arrest
SUMMARY
After the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris, who also holds UAE and French citizenship, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are considering a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France. Notably, as a response to Durov's detention, the UAE has already frozen the implementation of the contract for the purchase of 80 fighter jets from France.
RESPONSE
A pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov’s arrest in France.
There is no evidence that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) froze its contract with France for 80 fighter jets due to Pavel Durov’s arrest. The claim originates from a fabricated video falsely attributed to Al Jazeera. In fact, no such information has been published by the media, and there are no other sources confirming the cancellation of the contract. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has denied reports that a contract with the UAE for the purchase of military aircraft was disrupted due to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, calling such claims “part of a disinformation operation.”
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. According to The Washington Post, Jean-Michel Bernigaud, Secretary-General of Ofmin (a French police agency focused on preventing violence against minors), stated that “at the heart of the case is the absence of moderation and cooperation on the part of the platform, especially in the fight against child sex crimes.”
See other examples of disinformation narratives regarding the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, such as claims that The French government lost $17 billion due to Telegram app founder Durov's arrest, that The real reason for Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest is to cover up events in Palestine, that The hand of the US Democratic Party is behind Pavel Durov’s arrest, that the US is behind Telegram app founder’s arrest, that the West arrested Telegram app founder Durov because it failed in its fight against Russia, or that Durov arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram app because it tells the truth.