Durov accuses French media of xenophobia

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticized French media coverage about him, accusing some outlets of attempting to discredit him.

In particular, Durov singled out Le Figaro, one of France’s oldest newspapers, for referring to him as “Le Russe” in its reporting.

"I didn't realize how bad things really were with the French media until I started following them", Durov wrote.

In the article in question, journalists described Durov as supporting Elon Musk and his company in what they framed as a dispute involving the French judicial system.

Durov argued that repeatedly highlighting his Russian origin was irrelevant and intended to frame him negatively.

"Le Figaro went out of its way to emphasize my ethnic origin, despite its irrelevance (I don't live in Russia and own nothing there).", he said.

He further claimed that the media approach amounted to xenophobia and shared comments from French readers who questioned the newspaper’s tone.

"The "free" French press resorted to xenophobia to discredit me — and it backfired spectacularly. The French people see through labels and state propaganda. Love them!", Durov concluded.