The episode of the accusations brought by Pavel Durov, the co -founder of Telegram, who is investigated under judicial control in France, on the Romanian elections is removed from the Kremlin’s misinformation manual, shows the EU portal that fights Russian propaganda.
Collage made by the team I vs diinfo. Photo: I vs disinfo
The portal of the European Commission that fights the misinformation of pro-Kremlin-I vs disinfo-has published an analysis on how the result of the elections in Romania was reflected in the Russian propaganda ecosystem.
“Last week, a new but familiar narrative circulated, meant to discredit the democratic elections in Romania and arouse distrust in European institutions. According to a recent misinformation narrative, France’s intelligence services have somehow” frauduted “the elections in Romania to block the far-right candidate, “European mafia” ” – is shown in the quoted analysis.
The story, amplified by the pro-Kremlin platforms, is falsely argues that the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has revealed a plot of French secret services to censor the voices of the Romanian opposition-and that this censorship made the elites the stolen elections. The story does not stop here. The idea is used that “people never decide anything”, a statement meant to amplify cynicism, ethnic division and institutional distrust.
“The whole episode is directly removed from the Kremlin’s misinformation manual”
Specifically, Durov posted a message that suggested that he was approached by French intelligence officials, asking them to “Prohibits the conservative voices in Romania” On Telegram, a request he refused. But he did not provide any evidence and did not claim that this was the “manipulation” of the elections in Romania.
In a subsequent post he strengthened: “This spring, at Salon des Batailles in Hôtel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, the head of French intelligence services, asked me to ban the conservative voices in Romania before the elections. I refused. “
The French government responded quickly and unequivocally. DGSE, the France’s Foreign Intelligence Agency, has firmly rejected the statement, declaring that no requests for any electoral process were made. Discussions took place with the founder of Telegram, they clarified, but they had exclusively related to terrorism and child protection.
“DGSE has really been obliged, on several occasions in recent years, to come into direct contact with Pavel Durov to firmly remind his company responsibilities (…) regarding the prevention of terrorist threats and child pornography.” – the French institution replied. This “Rejects firmly the accusations that requests have been made to ban some accounts, in relation to any electoral processon these occasions. “
On the other hand, Pavel Durov stressed that he did not respond to any request. “I did not block those protesting in Russia, Belarus or Iran. We will not do this in Europe.”he insisted on the social network X.
“The whole episode is directly removed from the Kremlin’s misinformation manual”, is shown in the quoted analysis. It uses classic techniques, such as half -suggestive truths, bringing into question very well -known people, combining real situations with manufactured motifs and using xenophobic coded language to shake the spirits, more specifies the document. The ultimate goal? “Undermining the public trust in the democratic elections, delegitimizing EU institutions and deepening political divisions between European countries” – It is shown in the analysis I vs disinfo.
Pavel Durov’s problems with France
Billionaire Pavel Durov was arrested in the Paris region in the summer of 2024 and then accused of a series of offenses related to illegal content circulating on Telegram.
In March 2025, Pavel Durov was charged by the French authorities for six accusations, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking and refusal to cooperate with official investigations. He was released under judicial control, with the prohibition to leave France and the obligation to appear twice a week at the police.
In March 2025, the investigating judge accepted his request to change the judicial control measures, allowing him to leave France for a few weeks. Thus, Durov left France to Dubai, where the Telegram’s headquarters is. Since then it has not been found.
The French investigation concerns Durov’s alleged complicity in illegal activities on the Telegram platform, including the distribution of images with minors, drug trafficking and money laundering. The French authorities have criticized the lack of Telegram cooperation in providing information needed for investigations.
In addition, Pavel Durov’s brother, Nikolai, co -founder of Telegram, is also sought by the French authorities, and arrest warrants have been issued on their behalf since March 2024.
Target is the trust of voters
The narrative about Simion’s “stolen victory” fits perfectly in a wider trend. Sources aligned with the Kremlin have previously claimed that the EU has orchestrated the annulment of the 2024 presidential elections in Romania and included the criminal prosecution of the candidate for Presidency Călin Georgescu as a repression supported by the West. Now, France and Durov have added to him, hoping to give a new layer of credibility to an old lie.
“This is not journalism or disclosure. This is an informational war – meant to corrod the democracy from within. The real threat does not come from the European voters, but from those who sell conspiracy and chaos on their behalf”, The specialists from EU VS Disinfo concluded.
The quoted source has found examples of similar misinformation narratives, such as statements that Romania is under EU tyranny, that the Romanian elections show that EU officials are thinking of the interests of Ukraine, not Europe, that Romania illegally cancels the first round to block power through democratic elections of a human leader who is not an anti-URS and the EU is not only the EU or the EU. The winner aligns to their interests.
