Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Saturday that although Russian authorities had problems with Telegram, its CEO, Pavel Durov, was never arrested while in Russia.

"The only thing I want to say: nobody arrested him [Durov] in our country. Of course, there were questions. Yes, indeed, terrorists use the Telegram network. But terrorists also use cars. Why don't they arrest the CEO of Renault or Citroen?" Peskov told reporter Pavel Zarubin, commenting on Durov's arrest in France.

On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Durov's arrest has undermined freedom of speech in France, suggesting that the arrest was politically motivated.

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Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was detained by French authorities at Paris’ Le Bourget airport on August 24 as part of an investigation into criminal activities linked to his messaging app.

Durov faced six charges, including complicity in managing an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. The charges also involve facilitating the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities through Telegram.

After his arrest, Durov was released on a €5 million bail but is prohibited from leaving France and must check in with a police station twice a week.

The arrest has sparked a significant diplomatic stir, involving governments in Paris, Moscow, and Abu Dhabi, and has reignited debates around online free speech and technology regulation.

The investigation, which began in February, also involves Durov’s brother, Nikolai, for whom French authorities issued a warrant in March.

Telegram has strongly denied any wrongdoing, asserting compliance with all European digital norms