The Russian embassy in France “immediately” after arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov at the Paris airport “took the necessary steps to clarify the situation.” This was reported on Sunday, August 25, by the TASS agency, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

According to the agency’s source, Russian diplomats began working on the case despite the fact that the Russian embassy had not received any requests from Durov’s representatives.

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov announced an appeal to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry to secure Durov’s release. “His arrest may have political grounds and be a tool for gaining access to the personal information of Telegram users. This cannot be allowed,” RIA Novosti quoted the official as saying. However, the Russian ministry said that Davankov’s appeal was not an incentive for diplomats to work.

Durov is a citizen of at least four countries, including France

If charges are brought To Pavel Durov In France, there is a chance that he will not be extradited to another country, since the Russian billionaire received a French passport in 2021. In such situations, it is not uncommon for people with citizenship of several countries to be tried as citizens of the country in which they were detained.

For example, in the past, the Russian Federation itself has repeatedly denied even consular access to diplomats from other countries to people with dual citizenship. One of the most recent such cases was the case of German and Russian citizen Kevin Lik, who became the youngest person convicted under the article on “high treason” in the Russian Federation.

In turn, Pavel Durov, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine asked the media not to call him a Russian businessmanciting the fact that he has passports from other countries. In addition to French and Russian, Durov has citizenship in the Caribbean state of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is often given out for investments in the country’s economy, as well as citizenship in the UAE.

At the same time, diplomats from both of these countries did not report any reactions to Durov’s detention in France.

In 2022, Forbes reported that Durov no longer had a valid Russian passport, as the document had expired, and the billionaire “has not traveled to Russia or held any assets in the country for eight years.”

Durov faces up to 20 years in prison for aiding crime on Telegram

Founder of the company Telegramwho created the messenger of the same name, was detained upon arrival at Le Bourget airport in Paris on the evening of August 24. According to media reports, Durov is suspected of complicity in illegal activities taking place in the Telegram messenger – in particular, terrorism, drug trafficking, distribution of child pornographyas well as fraud.

Durov is suspected of complicity in such activities because his company refused to cooperate with French law enforcement agencies on relevant requests and failed to ensure sufficient content moderation on Telegram. Based on preliminary information about possible charges, Durov could face up to 20 years in prison in France, the media noted.