The Kremlin warned France on Thursday not to turn criminal proceedings against Telegram founder Pavel Durov into “political persecution.”
Russia, which has launched an unprecedented crackdown on political opponents as part of its offensive in Ukraine, portrayed Durov's surprise arrest in Paris earlier this week as politically motivated.
France has charged Russian-born Durov – who also holds French citizenship – with several counts of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular social media platform.
“The main thing is that the events in France do not lead to political persecution,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Of course, we consider him a Russian citizen and will be ready to help him within our capabilities,” he added.
“We will watch what happens next.”
French prosecutors said Durov was released on bail of five million euros and on the condition that he report to the police twice a week and remain in France.
Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps in Russia.
Since his arrest at Paris airport last weekend, Russian officials have rushed to Durov's aid.
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