According to the American newspaper Wall Street Jorunal, the detention of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France has alarmed Russia. The Russian government is reportedly worried about the military's secrets being exposed.
The Russian military is coordinating soldiers, artillery and spies in the Ukraine war by managing them through the Telegram app.
Telegram, which has its main office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is preferred by the Russian military due to Russia's close relations with the UAE.
39-year-old entrepreneur Pavel Durov has citizenship from Russia, France, the UAE and St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean.
ARMY COORDINATES WITH TELEGRAM
Alexei Rogozin, an advisor to the Russian Parliament, said about the importance of Telegram for the Russian military: “As extreme as it may sound, intelligence sharing, artillery targeting, drone broadcasts and many other things are often carried out via Telegram.”
It is noted that Telegram's encrypted messaging system prevents Ukrainians from tracking communications, while the Russian military also uses the application via Starlink satellites in Ukrainian territory it has seized.
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT WORRIED
A Western intelligence official claims that Russia also communicates via Telegram in its sabotage attempts in Europe.
According to him, the Russian government's harsh reaction to Durov's detention is due to their “great concern”.
Another Western official claims that Durov could cause great damage to Russia's security services if he cooperates.
RELEASED
Durov, who was detained at Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday and held under police interrogation for four days, was released on condition that he pay 5 million euros, report to police twice a week and not leave French territory.
