Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested at French airport

Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested by French police at an airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram on Sunday.

Durov, who holds French citizenship, was reportedly arrested on charges related to Telegram’s refusal to cooperate with French law enforcement, French media reported.

Durov was reportedly arrested as he disembarked from his private jet after landing at Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening.

Durov is reportedly accused of terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering, among other things. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

The Russian embassy in France immediately took steps to clarify the situation before New People party representative Vladislav Davankov urged the Russian government to demand Durov’s release, TASS reported.

“The Russian embassy in Paris immediately began working on the case,” as it is the duty of Russian diplomats to respond to cases involving the detention of Russian citizens abroad, Zakharova said.

Durov founded Telegram in 2013. The messaging app has great influence in Russia and became an important source of information during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested at French airport

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong on Sunday completed its 27th rotation since it began occupying Hong Kong in 1997.

The move, approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), is a routine annual rotation in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

On Sunday, the new employees passed through the border post at Huanggang Port in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and entered Hong Kong via Lok Ma Chau.

After their arrival at the garrison barracks, a handover ceremony took place. Afterwards, the withdrawing troops returned to the mainland.

“Before arriving in Hong Kong, our officers and soldiers deployed in Hong Kong have studied Hong Kong’s basic situation, laws and regulations, and missions in a targeted manner. We have the confidence and ability to fulfill our defense duties and will make greater contributions to safeguarding national security, ensuring Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability, and promoting the sound implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the long term,” said Liu Lei, an officer of the Hong Kong Garrison.

On Sunday morning, the soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and Navy left the air base and military port in Guangzhou and Shenzhen respectively and completed rotation and handover after arriving in Hong Kong.

PLA garrison in Hong Kong completes 27th routine rotation