Kremlin Spokesman Says Putin, Durov Didn’t Meet in Azerbaijan

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied news media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly met with the co-founder of the Telegram instant messaging service, Pavel Durov, during his visit to Azerbaijan.

“No,” Peskov said, when asked whether there the meeting actually happened.

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to Azerbaijan from August 18-19.

Some news media outlets and Telegram channels circulated reports that Durov was also allegedly visiting Azerbaijani on the same dates and had an informal meeting with the Russian leader.

Durov was detained at the Le Bourget airport in Paris on August 24.

Law enforcement authorities believe he is complicit in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud because of a lack of moderation efforts in Telegram, his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, and the option of sending cryptocurrency through the messaging app, TF1 television reported.

The Russian Embassy in France told TASS that it plans to protect Durov’s rights and seek consular access to him, but “the French side has so far avoided engagement on this issue.” Durov also has a French passport.

By TASS