The arrest of Pavel Durov in France has had a bombshell effect. The discussion that unfolded in the public space once again split the Russian political exile, and the hysteria of Russian propagandists confirmed the suspicion that this case is not only about freedom of speech.
With the outbreak of war, Telegram became a weapon of war. And Durov, willingly or unwillingly, allowed this to happen, in no way preventing the use of Telegram by the Russian military, special services, and agents, the emergence of large-scale z-propaganda, and numerous pro-war Telegram channels of so-called “war correspondents” inciting hatred and war.
Now Russian propagandists are throwing a real tantrum, accusing the West of violating freedom of speech, and some members of the Russian pseudo-parliament even claim that “the detention of Pavel Durov can be compared to the arrest of the chief of communications of the Russian army,” explaining that “Telegram is actively used to transmit intelligence, correct artillery strikes, broadcast video streams from drones and other tasks related to the management of troops. On Putin’s TV, homegrown “experts” directly tell us that they “use Telegram to guide Iskanders, artillery and aviation.”
In a strange way, in unison with the Kremlin propagandists, the campaign launched by part of the Russian liberal political emigration in defense of Pavel Durov and his brainchild sounds. And if the propagandists are simply working for a high price, it is more difficult to understand the motivation of Russians expelled from their homeland, where they are deprived of basic civil rights.
It is even harder to understand why the war, now in its third year, and the next war crimes of Putin’s regime are not causing such a stir in the Russian liberal milieu as Durov’s detention. Today’s strike on Ukraine, which resulted in human casualties, damage to infrastructure and the threat of destruction of the Kiev reservoir dam, impressed our liberal compatriots much less than the adventures of the Telegram founder in Paris.
Without prejudging questions of Pavel Durov’s personal guilt/innocence of specific crimes (there is a French court for that), we consider it necessary to state the following. The principle of freedom of speech does not imply freedom to conduct military propaganda of the aggressor country. It is inconceivable to imagine Goebbels’ columns on the pages of The New York Times or other leading publications of the time. Pro-Kremlin military propaganda must be eradicated from everywhere, including Telegram. We also insist that effective media, as Telegram has become, must not become a means of targeting Putin’s murderous weapons – missiles, cannons and airplanes. Finally, we firmly believe that a popular messenger should not be a platform for illegal content and the organization of criminal activities.
Regardless of how exactly Durov’s French epic ends, we hope that Telegram will stop being a tool of Putin’s war. Its creators should and can do so.
Council of the Free Russia Forum,
August 26, 2024.
