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The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is worrying Russian military bloggers. The Russian military uses the messenger for its communication.
Paris/Moscow – Telegram boss Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris on Saturday (24 August). The founder of the messenger app is accused of not having done enough to combat illegal content. The arrest particularly affects Russian military bloggers, who are worried about the future of the messenger. Telegram plays an important role in communication in the Russian army.
Telegram boss Durov arrested: Russian military bloggers in panic
According to Reuters, Telegram said in a statement that Durov had “nothing to hide.” “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of this platform,” it continued. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not yet know what the Russian-French businessman was accused of, the Russian news agency Tass reported. “We have not yet heard any official statements on this,” he told reporters on Monday (August 26).
Military blogger: Telegram CEO Durov “head of communications of the Russian army”
The news of Durov’s arrest caused great concern among Russian military bloggers. “They have practically arrested the head of communications of the Russian army,” wrote the military blogger Turned on Z War on Telegram. It seems that many of the bloggers are panicking after the arrest of the 39-year-old. After all, the app was banned in Russia according to the World Population Review downloaded over 34.4 million times. Many Russians use the app – including the Russian military.
The arrest of Telegram boss Pavel Durov in France has caused Russian military bloggers to panic. © Photomontage Steve Jennings/AFP; Artyom Geodakyan/TASS/IMAGO
How Newsweek reported, several military bloggers are worried about the future of communication in the Ukraine war. Russian journalist and war correspondent Alexander Sladkov stated that half of the Russian military communicates via Telegram and therefore an alternative must be created “urgently”. “Would it have been impossible to think about this earlier? Why did the Wagner group have such a messenger, but the armed forces of our great Russia did not?” asked Sladkov.
Russian military bloggers on Telegram: “The basis of military communication”
Military blogger Alexei Sukonkin also expressed concern after the arrest of the Telegram boss. His arrest raises “a number of problems that must be addressed immediately.” He continued: “Telegram is currently […] the basis of military communications,” he wrote. “From now on, all this is under threat. Isn’t this August the greatest tragedy?” He could also be referring to the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, which began on August 6.
The Russian Telegram channel Rybarfounded by former Russian Defense Ministry employee Mikhail Zvinchuk, pointed out that the messenger “has now become almost the main means of controlling units in the [ukrainischen Kriegs-]It went on to say that it would be “very sad” if the means of communication of the Russian armed forces were to change only as a result of the arrest of Durov.
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After Durov’s arrest: Russian military bloggers panic
“I think the Russians are panicking because they are trying to predict possible consequences for their most important communication tool and are trying to protect themselves and remove information from there,” said Nazar Tokar, head of the investigative group Kremlingram. Politico“But everything will depend on the French government and the courts – whether they will imprison Durov or reach an agreement and release him and he will give them some information in return – we do not know yet,” said Tokar.
Durow’s arrest leaves even more questions unanswered. Shortly before his arrest, he was out with a woman, of which there has been no trace since then. (vk)
