Telegram Founder Alleges French Election Pressure

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused French intelligence of attempting to pressure him into censoring certain channels on his platform ahead of Moldova’s presidential elections. Durov made the claims in a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), calling the request “unacceptable on several levels.”

According to Durov, the French intelligence services approached him through an intermediary while he was in Paris about a year ago. They asked him to help the Moldovan government block specific Telegram channels. In exchange for cooperation, the intermediary allegedly promised that French intelligence would "say good things" about Durov to a French judge who had ordered his arrest in August 2024.

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Durov said Telegram reviewed the channels flagged by French and Moldovan authorities. A few channels were removed for violating Telegram’s rules. However, the majority of the flagged channels, he claimed, were legitimate and targeted solely because they voiced political positions disliked by the French and Moldovan governments. Durov emphasized that Telegram refused to remove content for political reasons and reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to freedom of speech.

The French government swiftly rebutted the claims. The French Foreign Ministry posted on X: "After Romania, Moldova. @durov likes making accusations while elections are ongoing," referencing Durov’s earlier allegations regarding election interference in Romania.

Durov’s statement comes amid heightened scrutiny of Moldova’s parliamentary elections held on June 28, 2025. The elections could impact the country’s efforts to join the European Union, while pro-Russian opposition groups reportedly attempted to influence the vote away from closer EU ties.

This is not Durov’s first dispute with French authorities. In May 2025, he alleged that France’s foreign intelligence agency sought to block Romanian conservative voices ahead of elections, a claim denied by France’s DGSE. Durov has been under judicial supervision in France since his arrest at a French airport in August 2024, during an ongoing investigation into alleged organized crime activities linked to Telegram.

Telegram has confirmed it will continue to resist all political pressure to censor content, with Durov promising to expose further attempts if they occur.