An App for the Whole World, a ‘Weapon’ for Vladimir Putin. It is the dual role of Telegram, the social network that has a special weight for Moscow and that risks leaving a heavy void in the Russian chessboard after the arrest of the CEO Pavel Durov who was arrested in Paris a week ago and released on bail without the right to leave France. Durov faces a series of charges, including a lack of moderation on Telegram and creating an environment conducive to illegal activity.
The application, which has recently also come under scrutiny by the EU, has gradually become a tool of primary importance for Russia: crucial not only for Russia’s military operations in the war in Ukraine – including the communication of intelligence information, the coordination of movements and for artillery guidance systems – but also for sabotage operations by Moscow’s intelligence in Europe.
The New York Times is the one to highlight the importance of the app for Moscow. The newspaper recalls the initial difficulty of Russian forces in Ukraine to communicate without being intercepted by Kiev’s military and the inadequacy of the technologies inherited from the USSR for the new war techniques, in which the real-time transfer of data and images is necessary.
Concern in Moscow
“Durov’s arrest in itself would not have caused such a stir in Russia, if it were not for one circumstance. It is in fact the main messenger, alternative to classified military communication networks“, explained Andrey Medvedev, correspondent for Russian state TV and deputy chairman of the Moscow city council, on Telegram.
“Considering the level of alarm with which the Russian government reacted to the arrest of Pavel Durov in France, It seems that the concern is significant“, commented an intelligence source from a European country, quoted by the American newspaper.
“Many joke that Durov’s arrest is essentially the arrest of the commander of communications for the Russian armed forces,” admits Aleksey Rogozin, a Duma adviser and former head of Russia’s military industry and son of the former director of the Russian space agency.
Among the sources that have expressed alarm over Durov’s legal case in France, there is the channel “Callsign Osetin”. “If our enemies can get into Telegram, our things will go to hell. A lot of information flows in platform-based chats, encrypted or not.”