© Manuel Blondeau/AOP.Press/Corbis/Getty ImagesWhat is the link between Durov and Ukrainian spies? "Don't be mistaken: this is not a free country," Durov wrote, describing France as the only nation "criminally persecuting all social networks that give people some degree of freedom. Still,Durov's challenge is that he is attempting to defend Telegram from several directions at once. They may also leave him exposed to pressure from every side. Across the world, governments are becoming less willing to tolerate globally operating communications platforms that sit outside their legal and political control.