Telegram founder Pavel Durov stated on Saturday that he refused a request from French intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner to block Romanian conservative voices on the messaging platform ahead of the country’s presidential runoff election.
Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Durov alleged:
“This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hotel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused. We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.”
Earlier in the day, Durov had made a general claim that a Western European government had requested Telegram to "silence conservative voices in Romania," but had not initially named the country or official involved.
The statement comes on the same day Romania held its runoff presidential election, a repeat vote following a Constitutional Court decision that annulled the original result of November 24, 2024. The court had halted the process citing concerns over alleged illegal campaign financing by nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, cybersecurity threats, and unproven claims of Russian interference.
Durov’s public comments are likely to intensify scrutiny around foreign involvement and digital influence in electoral processes across Europe. Telegram has previously faced pressure from multiple governments to moderate content or block opposition voices, particularly in politically sensitive contexts. However, Durov has consistently positioned the platform as a pro-free speech alternative, emphasizing non-cooperation with political censorship.
Neither the French government nor the Romanian authorities have issued an official response to Durov’s allegations as of the time of reporting.
Germany's finance ministry is pushing forward with its 2025 and 2026 budget plans, focusing on fiscal savings while addressing security and economic challenges, according to a recent government document.
In January 2025, the CIA made headlines by revising its position on the origins of COVID-19, now favoring the laboratory leak theory over natural origins.
Finance leaders from the Group of Seven democracies will strive for a show of unity when they meet this week on topics other than U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, including economic security, Ukraine and artificial intelligence cooperation.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Trump administration will determine in the coming days whether Russia is genuinely interested in peace talks with Ukraine. This reflects President Trump’s growing concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
Armenia has proposed elevating its cooperation with Cyprus to the level of a strategic partnership, a move positively received by Cypriot officials.
Iran will continue to enrich uranium regardless of whether a new nuclear agreement is reached with the United States, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday in a statement on social media platform X.
The Tazhen border checkpoint on the Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border will remain closed for an additional four months, until September 1, 2025, according to Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee (KDG) of the Ministry of Finance.
Southeast Asia is witnessing a renewed surge in COVID-19 infections, with Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand all reporting sharp increases, raising concerns about a possible new wave of the virus across the region.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a British diplomat in Tehran following the arrest of several Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom on espionage charges, state media reported on Monday.
Germany's finance ministry is pushing forward with its 2025 and 2026 budget plans, focusing on fiscal savings while addressing security and economic challenges, according to a recent government document.
In January 2025, the CIA made headlines by revising its position on the origins of COVID-19, now favoring the laboratory leak theory over natural origins.
Finance leaders from the Group of Seven democracies will strive for a show of unity when they meet this week on topics other than U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, including economic security, Ukraine and artificial intelligence cooperation.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Trump administration will determine in the coming days whether Russia is genuinely interested in peace talks with Ukraine. This reflects President Trump’s growing concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment