“Political Theatre”: France rejects Telegram CEO's allegations of election interference

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has reignited tensions with the French government after alleging that its intelligence services tried to pressure him into censoring Moldovan voices on the platform ahead of elections. In a lengthy Twitter post, Durov claimed that while he was in Paris last year, an intermediary acting for French intelligence asked him to remove certain Telegram channels critical of the Moldovan government.

According to Durov, his team reviewed the list and took down a handful of channels that clearly breached Telegram’s own rules. But he alleged the agency then suggested that “good things” would be said about him to the judge overseeing his French legal troubles — a quid pro quo he called “unacceptable on several levels.” He further claimed that a second list of channels was almost entirely legitimate, united only by their political stance, which his team refused to act upon.

France’s foreign ministry was quick to dismiss the claims. “After Romania, Moldova. @durov likes making accusations while elections are ongoing,” it said in a post, recalling similar allegations earlier this year that Paris had tried to meddle in Romania’s politics. The ministry insisted the latest remarks were part of a pattern of unsubstantiated claims.

Moldova, meanwhile, held parliamentary elections on 28 June — a contest seen as critical for its push towards European Union membership. The vote took place amid tensions with pro-Russian opposition groups keen to block deeper integration with the bloc.