03:28Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Moscow had concerns about Pavel Durov's detention in France appearing to be 'political persecution', in a briefing with journalists in Moscow on Thursday.
"Our primary concern is that the situation in France should not be perceived as political persecution. We are aware that the French President has denied any connection with politics, but we can see that certain specific accusations have been made. We will continue to assess the situation as it develops," he said.
Peskov also claimed that Russia is ready to provide Telegram CEO Durov with all necessary assistance, as it would 'for any other Russian citizen'.
A statement released by Tribunale de Paris said that Durov faced 'preliminary charges' for allegedly allowing illegal activity on the platform - said to include 'illegal transactions', drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material. He was bailed for 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
Durov - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'. Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued. The platform reportedly has around one billion users.
France must avoid making Durov case seem like 'political persecution' - Peskov
Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Moscow had concerns about Pavel Durov's detention in France appearing to be 'political persecution', in a briefing with journalists in Moscow on Thursday.
"Our primary concern is that the situation in France should not be perceived as political persecution. We are aware that the French President has denied any connection with politics, but we can see that certain specific accusations have been made. We will continue to assess the situation as it develops," he said.
Peskov also claimed that Russia is ready to provide Telegram CEO Durov with all necessary assistance, as it would 'for any other Russian citizen'.
A statement released by Tribunale de Paris said that Durov faced 'preliminary charges' for allegedly allowing illegal activity on the platform - said to include 'illegal transactions', drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material. He was bailed for 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
Durov - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'. Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued. The platform reportedly has around one billion users.
Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Moscow had concerns about Pavel Durov's detention in France appearing to be 'political persecution', in a briefing with journalists in Moscow on Thursday.
"Our primary concern is that the situation in France should not be perceived as political persecution. We are aware that the French President has denied any connection with politics, but we can see that certain specific accusations have been made. We will continue to assess the situation as it develops," he said.
Peskov also claimed that Russia is ready to provide Telegram CEO Durov with all necessary assistance, as it would 'for any other Russian citizen'.
A statement released by Tribunale de Paris said that Durov faced 'preliminary charges' for allegedly allowing illegal activity on the platform - said to include 'illegal transactions', drug trafficking and child sexual abuse material. He was bailed for 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
Durov - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'. Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued. The platform reportedly has around one billion users.