Washington Accused of Orchestrating Arrest of telegram Co-Founder
The head of Russia's Safe Internet League (LBI), Yekaterina Mizulina, has made startling allegations, claiming that the recent arrest of telegram co-founder Pavel Durov was orchestrated by Washington. According to Mizulina, the United States may have been targeting the Toncoin (ton) cryptocurrency with the arrest.
Durov Arrest Orders Allegedly Came from Washington
Mizulina expressed that Durov's arrest did not come as a surprise to her, as she had long believed that remaining outside of Russia posed a significant risk for the owners of telegram. She even suggested that Durov may have had ties to Western intelligence agencies, which could have enabled him to evade previous arrest attempts. However, the recent turn of events has debunked this notion.
"[Durov] risked being arrested at any moment – similar situations have happened before at the request of the United States."
Yekaterina Mizulina, Director, Safe Internet League
Mizulina also insinuated that the motive behind Durov's detention was an attempt to strike a blow at the Toncoin cryptocurrency, hinting at ulterior motives behind the arrest.
Kremlin Unaware of Charges Against Durov
Contrary to Mizulina's claims, the Kremlin has professed ignorance regarding the reasons behind Durov's arrest. The government-backed NGO, the LBI, holds the power to censor websites and restrict access to content seen as promoting violence, pedophilia, and extremism.
The Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov relayed that the Kremlin was not privy to any official statements regarding the matter and emphasized the need for more information before jumping to conclusions. Peskov debunked reports suggesting a meeting between Durov and President Vladimir Putin during the latter's visit to Azerbaijan.
"Before we say anything, we need to wait for the situation to become clearer. We need to see what exactly they are trying to incriminate Durov with. Without that information, it would probably be wrong to make any statements on the matter."
Dmitry Peskov, Russian Presidential Spokesman
The Kremlin intends to withhold judgment until the charges, if any, are officially announced, demonstrating a cautious approach towards the unfolding situation.
