The Kremlin takes on false information to attack France and the democratic process in Romania. The main actors, Emmanuel Macron and the Telegram chief
Russia resumes a misinformation and accuses, without evidence, France of trying to influence the presidential elections in Romania by controlling the Telegram network.
Maria Zaharova supports false information. Photo: Profimedia
Russia has officially resumed and amplified a conspiracy theory without foundation, claiming that French President Emmanule Macron would have been involved in the Romanian presidential elections through an alleged control over the Telegram Messess application. The statements were made by Maria Zaharova, the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in a post on her Telegram account.
Maria Zaharova states that French President Emmanuel Macron would have arrested the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, in order to influence the Romanian poll. In its post, it does not offer any evidence, but only relaunchs a previous fake news, conveyed on social networks and already denied by the French authorities, notes Digi24.
In fact, Pavel Durov was detained by the authorities in France in 2024, in a file aimed at crimes such as organized crime and negligence in combating illegal content distribution, including terrorist or child pornography, through his Telegram platform. The restraint took place long before the election campaign in Romania and without any connection with it.
Later, Pavel Durov claimed that Nicolas Lerner, the head of the French Foreign Intelligence Service (DGSE), would have asked him to block the accounts of conservative users in Romania, in the context of the presidential elections, but that he refused the request.
DGSE has reacted through an official statement, confirmed that he had discussions with Durov over the years, but only to remind legal responsibilities for the prevention of risks such as terrorism and computer crime. The agency categorically rejected the accusations that they would have requested the blocking of political accounts or that they would have tried to influence the electoral process in Romania.
France officially reacted to the statements made by the Kremlin representative and in a statement issued on May 22, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs transmitted that the accusations are “completely unfounded” and appealed to comply with the Romanian democratic process.
“The accusations circulating about an alleged interference of France in the Presidential A poll in Romania are completely unfounded. France categorically rejects these accusations and calls for each to take responsibility, but above all, to respect the Romanian democracy,” It is shown in the mentioned statement.
This new attempt by Russia to roll fake information is part of a campaign to manipulate and destabilize democratic processes in Central and Eastern Europe.
