Kremlin refutes claims about Putin-Durov meeting in Baku

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday denied media reports claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov during his recent visit to Azerbaijan.

"No," Peskov said, when asked whether there the meeting actually happened, News.Az reports citing TASS.
Putin paid a state visit to Azerbaijan from August 18-19. Some news media outlets and Telegram channels circulated reports that Durov was also allegedly visiting Azerbaijani on the same dates and had an informal meeting with the Russian leader.

Durov was detained at the Le Bourget airport in Paris on August 24. Law enforcement authorities believe he is complicit in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud because of a lack of moderation efforts in Telegram, his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, and the option of sending cryptocurrency through the messaging app, TF1 television reported.

News.Az