The billionaire made a very popular app among Putin’s opponents. When people started voting, he succumbed to pressure.

The messaging service Telegram was the opposition’s last hope before the weekend elections in Russia. Now that hope has been extinguished.

Pavel Durov started his position In a way that made one realize that there would soon be one men.

“We are happy that millions of Russians have had the opportunity to use this bot,” he wrote, adding, “Telegram is the freest platform on this network.”

wait.

Pavel Durov? He is the Russian billionaire behind the encrypted messaging service Telegram. The application is very popular especially in Russia and other authoritarian countries, as it provides an opportunity to communicate without being monitored by the authorities.

“Bot On”? It is an automated service designed for Telegram where Russians get advice on who to vote in this weekend’s elections. The service helps voters find the opposition candidates who have the greatest chance of success in the fight against Vladimir Putin and his party.

After Google and Apple removed the “Vote Smart” app before the weekend, which was offering a similar service, Telegram was the only way for Putin’s opponents to organize their voting.

Navalny spokesman: “I’m really sorry”

And this is where Durovs men Enter. A little later in a Telegram message he posted late Friday night, he wrote this:

At midnight, we will limit the use of campaign-related fines.

If you try to use this service today, you will receive an error message. This caused a strong reaction from supporters of the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

“It is truly unfortunate that private companies are censoring while allegedly championing the ideas of freedom,” Kyra Jarmis wrote on Twitter.

She is Navalny’s spokeswoman.

And his supporters were behind both the “Vote smart” app and the Telegram bot service.

Blame it on Google and Apple

Durov defends this measure by saying that elections are now underway in Russia. He writes that for many years it has been common for election campaigns to end when people begin to vote.

It also indicates that Telegram is in danger of disappearing from the Google and Apple app stores if it does not follow the line of these giants.

He writes: “The oligopoly of Apple and Google are a threat to free speech.”

Oligopoly is a system in which very few large players control the entire market.

Reactions against Durov and Telegram were many. Many question his reasoning. They believe he was pressured by the authorities. President Putin has previously threatened to block Telegram from the Internet in Russia.

– He blames Apple and Google for capitulating to censorship. But its timing is noteworthy, Moscow correspondent Max Seddon wrote in the Financial Times on Twitter.

Accusations of electoral fraud

Elections in Russia are not expected to bring any significant changes to the country’s power structure. The 450-member State Duma, ie the National Assembly, is waiting. In addition, the people will elect regional and local representatives.

United Russia has long enjoyed complete control of the National Assembly and holds 336 of the Duma’s 450 seats. Putin’s party is likely to be able to retain two-thirds of the seats even after the elections.

Most opposition candidates are either arrested or exiled. Many were denied the right to vote. In addition, a number of reports of election fraud have already been received.

For the first time in three decades, election observers from the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) were not present at the Russian elections. The organization says the Russian authorities have made “unreasonable demands” that would make it impossible to carry out the work.

Sunday is the last election day.