MOSCOW. Aug 29 (Interfax) - The prosecution of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France must not be politically motivated, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"Certainly, what's important here is that what's happening in France shouldn't be turned into political persecution," Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
"We know that the French president has denied any relation to politics, but on the other hand, certain charges have been brought. Let's see what happens next," Peskov said.
The Kremlin does not consider it necessary "to continue to voice any judgments" regarding Durov's case, Peskov said.
"We've said already that, after all, firstly, he is a citizen of France. Secondly, he has everything necessary to build his legal defense. Of course, we deem him a citizen of Russia, and if necessary, as far as we can, we'll be willing to provide him assistance, the same as for any other Russian citizen," he said.
Durov was detained in Paris upon his arrival from Baku on August 24. After being indicted on a number of counts related to operations of the Telegram messaging service on Wednesday evening, Durov was released on a bond of 5 million euros and barred from leaving France.