French Intelligence Interfered With Moldova Elections, Says Telegram CEO

By The Blogging Hounds On September 28, as Moldovans went to the polls in a pivotal election that handed a majority to the pro‑EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Telegram founder Pavel Durov detonated a bombshell on X: French intelligence services had approached him through an intermediary and asked him to help censor Moldovan…

By The Blogging Hounds

On September 28, as Moldovans went to the polls in a pivotal election that handed a majority to the pro‑EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Telegram founder Pavel Durov detonated a bombshell on X: French intelligence services had approached him through an intermediary and asked him to help censor Moldovan Telegram channels ahead of the vote. The revelation underscores how global powers are now using digital platforms as battlefields to shape the political destinies of small nations — and perhaps as a template for controlling free speech worldwide.

Durov’s Explosive Accusation
According to Durov, French agents reached out while he was stuck in Paris on legal issues last year, offering “judicial favours” in exchange for his cooperation. “This was unacceptable on several levels,” Durov wrote. Telegram removed a handful of channels that clearly broke its rules, but when a second list arrived — “nearly all legitimate” — he refused. The only commonality, he says, was that they expressed political views disliked by the French and Moldovan governments.
“If the agency did in fact approach the judge, it constituted an attempt to interfere in the judicial process. If it did not, then it was exploiting my legal situation in France to influence political developments in Eastern Europe,” Durov warned.

Moldova’s Election — Between Brussels and Moscow
The election itself was already fraught. President Maia Sandu’s PAS secured over 50 percent of the vote, winning a working majority in Moldova’s 101‑seat parliament. European leaders hailed the outcome as a mandate for EU integration. Moscow called it manipulation. In the run‑up to the vote, Moldovan authorities raided alleged Russian proxy networks, banned two pro‑Russian parties from the ballot, and warned of cyber operations. PAS accused Russia of using Orthodox clergy and Telegram networks to influence voters. The opposition accused PAS of weaponising state power — and now, Durov’s claims suggest Western governments were also leaning on platforms to mute critics.

A Mirror Image of Moscow’s Playbook?
A Reuters investigation documented how Russian structures courted Moldovan clergy with trips to Moscow, lectures, cash-loaded debit cards, and the launch of parish Telegram channels. Moldovan officials denounced the effort as an abuse of trust to sway opinion. But laid next to Durov’s disclosure, the picture darkens: while Moscow allegedly used faith and local media to block EU membership, European powers may have tried to choke off dissenting voices online to push Moldova toward Brussels. Moldova’s 2.4 million citizens appear to be caught in the crossfire of a 21st‑century information war.

Freedom of Speech Under Pressure
Telegram has positioned itself as the last refuge of uncensored political speech. “Telegram is committed to freedom of speech and will not remove content for political reasons. I will continue to expose every attempt to pressure Telegram into censoring our platform,” Durov vowed. His words echo growing fears among privacy advocates that Western governments are building their own digital censorship regimes — soft power for now, but potentially coercive tomorrow.

A Prophetic Glimpse of the Future?
For Bible prophecy watchers, the Moldova episode reads like a preview of the coming global control grid. Revelation 13 warns of a system where only approved voices and transactions are permitted. As nations digitize ID, payments, and speech platforms, the ability to “buy, sell, or speak” may hinge not on law but on compliance. If Telegram can be pressured today over Moldova, what happens tomorrow when these same mechanisms are tied to digital IDs and cashless economies in the West?

The Road Ahead
PAS supporters are celebrating a democratic win. But the deeper story is that Western services may now be playing the very games they once accused Russia of playing — behind the scenes, through tech platforms, in the name of stability. Whether the PAS majority holds or Moldova drifts back toward Moscow, the precedent has been set: no election, no platform, and no citizen voice is beyond the reach of state manipulation.

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