The Kremlin denied Monday that President Vladimir Putin met with Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Azerbaijan before the tech entrepreneur's arrest in France over the weekend.
Durov was detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport shortly after arriving from Baku on Saturday night for alleged offenses related to his popular Telegram messaging app, French media reported.
Kremlin-linked Telegram news channels claimed that Durov sought a meeting with Putin during the Russian leader’s state visit to Azerbaijan on Aug. 18-19, but Putin allegedly turned him down.
When asked about the reports, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that no meeting took place.
“We don’t know exactly what Durov is accused of, we haven’t received any official statements yet,” Peskov said. “Let’s wait until the charges are made public, if they are. After that, we’ll be able to draw some preliminary conclusions.”
Telegram, a Dubai-based messaging app, positions itself as an alternative to U.S.-owned platforms, which have faced criticism for exploiting users’ personal data. However, critics accuse Telegram of hosting illegal content, including explicit material, disinformation and drug sales.
AFP, citing an anonymous source close to Durov’s case, reported that the tech entrepreneur was aware of the French arrest warrant against him but still planned to “have dinner” in Paris.
“Perhaps he had a sense of impunity,” the source was quoted as saying.
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