TechFlow reported, according to Cointelegraph, that several French government websites recently suffered distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, causing them to go offline. Affected sites include the Paris Administrative Court, the ANSM.sante.fr website of the French Ministry of Health, and the Supreme Court's webpage. Preliminary reports suggest these attacks may be in response to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France on August 24, with suspected links to Russian hacking groups.
On August 26, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement regarding Durov's arrest, stating that the arrest was not politically motivated and emphasizing that the outcome of the case would be determined by France’s independent judicial system. However, Macron’s remarks have drawn widespread criticism from the cryptocurrency community and free speech advocates.
Industry leaders including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk have called for Durov’s release. On August 26, French prosecutors updated that law enforcement may detain Durov until August 28 for questioning over crimes allegedly committed by "unidentified individuals" on the platform.
