After Durov's arrest, Russian propaganda rushes to defend freedom of speech

After the arrest of Pavel Durov in France, Russian propaganda rushed to defend freedom of speech. "The liberal dictatorship does not tolerate loners who claim freedom and do not play by its rules," was how Federation Council member Alexei Pushkov summed up the propaganda narrative.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it will do everything to protect a Russian citizen in trouble abroad. The Russian Embassy in France has requested consular access to Pavel Durov - and accused French authorities of "avoiding interaction.

Posts about Durov have been published by X owner Elon Musk and journalist Tucker Carlson. Even former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev weighed in:

"For all our common enemies, he is now Russian - and therefore unpredictable and dangerous. Of different blood. Definitely not Musk or Zuckerberg (who, by the way, is actively cooperating with the FBI). Durov should finally realize that the fatherland, like the times, cannot be chosen..."

Meanwhile, Russia's New People party held a rally in support of Pavel Durov in front of the French embassy in Moscow. Politicians and activists in branded clothing placed paper airplanes - symbols of Telegram - in front of the building. They were used in protests in Russia in 2018, when authorities tried to block the messenger.

Russian journalist Andrei Medvedev draws attention to the unpleasant circumstances of Pavel Durov's detention for the Kremlin. According to him, Telegram is "the main messenger of the current war". A huge amount of communication between the Russian military, including troop control, passes through it.

Both Medvedev and other propagandists strongly dislike the fact that the messenger may be under greater control of Western intelligence services.