Relations with France at "lowest" point over arrest of Telegram's Durov, Russia says

Moscow: The relationship between Russia and France is at its "lowest" level following the arrest of Telegram boss Pavel Durov in Paris over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Durov, a Russian-born billionaire, was arrested in France on Saturday as part of an investigation into crimes related to images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the Telegram messaging platform, French prosecutors said.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the accusations by France against Durov were "very serious", and warned they would be viewed in Russia as an attempt to restrict freedom of communication unless they were backed up with significant evidence.