WSJ: Russian officials believe that the arrest of Pavel Durov is an indirect hostile act against the country

ChainCatcher news, according to the WSJ report, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France last Saturday, which has drawn "anger" from Russian officials.

The Russian embassy in France issued a statement earlier on Sunday, stating that French authorities had refused their attempts to contact Durov. "After the news of Durov's detention appeared in the media, we immediately requested clarification from the French authorities regarding the reasons and asked them to ensure the protection of Durov's rights and provide consular access. As of today, the French side has remained silent on this issue. We are in contact with Durov's lawyer," the translated version of the statement read.

Some Russian officials described the arrest as an indirect hostile act against Russia. Reports indicate that Durov holds dual citizenship in France and Russia, while others suggest he has dual citizenship in France and the UAE. Additionally, according to NPR, the Paris prosecutor's office stated that French officials are expected to respond to the arrest issue in a statement on Monday. Telegram also issued its first statement regarding the arrest that day, stating: "Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act," and "Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide; he frequently travels in Europe."

While some news outlets claim that Durov could face 20 years in prison, the initial reports from French media did not mention this figure. Following Durov's arrest, many prominent figures in the crypto industry expressed their support for him, including X platform owner Elon Musk, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin (who noted that his views are based on the information available so far), TRON founder Justin Sun, and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, among others.