Disclaimer:
This text is a translation of a post from a friend of a friend on Facebook.
I do not know this person and have no connection to them.
I do not use any cryptocurrencies and have no involvement with any operations or people related to cryptocurrencies, Telegram, or the individuals mentioned in this post.
Here is the link to the original post:
Nazar Tokar has already appeared live on BBC and gave comments on behalf of Kremlgram to several Ukrainian media outlets.
I’ll summarize some of the most interesting facts from it in this post.
The funniest thing, of course, is watching how four different groups united in defending Durov:
– American MAGA Republicans
– Russian “opposition to Putin”
– Russian military-fascist masses
– Various radicals accused of pedophilia, human trafficking, and other sins
It’s clear that most of the English-speaking audience is hearing about Telegram for the first time, so the context we have after the last year and a half of studying their ties with the Kremlin, their lack of digital security, their platform for disinformation, and shelter for traffickers of people, drugs, weapons, and criminals of all kinds, as well as their double standards in moderation — all of this is in high demand.
So, what else is interesting:
– You probably already know about Kremlgram and our publications, so I won’t dwell on that.
– Of course, Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, David Sacks, Kim Dotcom, Andrew Tate, Lex Fridman, and many other “usual suspects” are outraged by the “violation of free speech” and are demanding Durov’s immediate release from custody.
– The TF1 channel reported that “French authorities are investigating potential ties between Durov and the Kremlin.”
– Also, “Pavel Durov is a French citizen and cannot be extradited.”
– Russians are demanding that Le Pen stand up for Durov.
– 🤡 The Russian Embassy in France declared that Durov is a Russian citizen. His Russian passport is valid. Before this, Telegram, in response to my column for Ukrayinska Pravda in 2023, stated that Durov is an exile from Russia and has no ties with it.
– 🤡 The Russian Telegram channel “crazy about Z-military” unironically writes: “They essentially arrested the head of communications for the Russian Armed Forces.”
– The arrest happened just a few days after Durov was in Azerbaijan alongside Putin. Obviously, their simultaneous presence there couldn’t have been a coincidence.
– The notorious Yekaterina Mizulina believes that Durov was arrested to strike a blow at the TON cryptocurrency, in which large Russian businessmen have invested. Thank you, Yekaterina, now we know that financiers of the Russian regime are using Telegram to hide money.
– I don’t understand why Durov flew to France knowing he would be arrested. My hypothesis seems very unlikely even to me, but perhaps he’s confident that Russia will pull him out, and this is an attempt to cause a split in Western societies and create an image of a revolutionary and freedom-of-speech fighter.
– Another hypothesis is that Pavel chose French prison over skyscraper windows and tea with polonium. I’m less inclined to believe this one.
I think there will be a lot more interesting developments on this topic in the coming days.
I’ll leave a link to the thread on Twitter in the comments, and follow me there if you want to keep up with the details.
