On May 19, 2025, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that French intelligence services, under the guise of fighting terrorism and child pornography, were trying to use Telegram to influence the political situation in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. He wrote about this in a series of posts on the X platform, clarifying that the true purpose of the meetings with representatives of the French Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) was geopolitics, not the stated law enforcement tasks.

According to Durov, in the spring of 2025, DGSE head Nicolas Lerner asked him at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris to block conservative Telegram channels before the presidential elections in Romania on May 18.

"I categorically refused. We did not block protesters in Russia, Belarus or Iran and we will not start doing so in Romania," — Durov wrote, emphasizing that Telegram will not interfere in the elections under the pretext of protecting democracy.

He also noted that French intelligence agencies were interested in the IP addresses of terrorism suspects, but “child pornography was not even mentioned” at the meetings.

The French Foreign Ministry and the DGSE have strongly denied the allegations, calling them “totally unfounded.” The ministry’s statement in X emphasized that France did not interfere in the Romanian elections, and that Durov’s accusations were an attempt to distract attention from real threats, including Russia’s alleged interference via social media. The Romanian Foreign Ministry also reported signs of “Russian interference” in the elections, pointing to activity on Telegram and TikTok.

Durov’s charges stem from his arrest in France in August 2024, where he was charged with 12 counts, including complicity in drug trafficking and child pornography, due to Telegram’s inadequate moderation. After being released on €5 million bail, Durov left France and moved to the UAE, where he is under judicial supervision. In March 2025, he announced increased moderation on Telegram, including issuing IP addresses and phone numbers of violators based on court orders.