Macron’s gift to Durov: Citizenship
Durov’s arrest presents a challenge for France, which faces accusations of seeking to suppress free speech on platforms like Telegram, and for Macron, who has a long-standing relationship with the tech tycoon.
There is growing public speculation about whether Durov’s arrest may have deeper motivations — namely, a possible effort by Western powers to assert control over Telegram. During a meeting last week, a senior Western intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that Telegram might also serve as a tool for recruiting spies, making Durov a figure of considerable interest to authorities. There is, however, no concrete evidence to support this theory.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Durov has said that he left Russia in 2014 amid growing tensions with the Kremlin. According to his account, he refused to hand over the contact information of Ukrainian pro-democracy activists on VKontakte, the social media platform he launched before Telegram, during the 2013-14 Euromaidan movement.
In addition to being both a French and Russian citizen, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, where he resides and operates Telegram, as well as the Caribbean island state of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which grants citizenship in exchange for investment.
Both Russia and the United Arab Emirates offered Durov diplomatic assistance — which he declined, a French government official told POLITICO. “The person concerned refused Russian consular protection and an Emirati consular visit but agreed that the Emirati embassy be kept up to date on his situation,” the official said.
“We are in touch with the French authorities about this case and Pavel Durov’s representatives,” an official for the UAE diplomatic service told POLITICO
