MOSCOW (Reuters) – Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of messaging app Telegram, made a mistake in fleeing Russia and thinking he would never have to cooperate with security services abroad.
Medvedev recounted a conversation he had with Durov several years ago, in which Medvedev told him that if he did not cooperate with law enforcement agencies, he would face problems in any country.
Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said Durov wanted to be a “brilliant 'man of the world' who can live beautifully without the motherland.”
“He misjudged it,” Medvedev said. “For all our common enemies now, he is Russian – and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.”
“Durov must finally realize that you cannot choose your homeland,” Medvedev said.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
