POLITICO Confidential: The mystery of the tech mogul and his many passports

Dear readers,
Summer is winding down in Brussels and next week the cocktail circuit carousel starts spinning at hyper-speed. One of the distinctive features of working in Europe, compared with Asia, North America or even Britain, is just how seasonal things are here. Everyone seems to disappear for long, leisurely breaks during the summer, in winter and for a plethora of religious and war-related holidays. But when they are all back at work, it can get quite intense. 
This was a fascinating week with some excellent POLITICO reporting on the tale of Pavel Durov, Russian-born CEO of the messaging app Telegram, who was arrested by French authorities last weekend when he landed in the country on a private jet from Azerbaijan. We scooped everyone with our reporting, based on internal French documents, that Durov’s co-founder brother Nikolai was also wanted by authorities.
There are so many strange unanswered questions surrounding Durov: such as how he acquired his many citizenships (including French, Emirati and Saint Kitts and Nevis); why he allowed himself to be arrested in France; what his continued ties to Russia are; how much he really believes in free speech and how much his company secretly cooperates with authorities in various countries.
One thing I do know is Western governments and intelligence services have warned for years that the messaging service is not secure and should not be used for sensitive communications.
Speaking of possible Kremlin influence, POLITICO is closely watching the regional elections in eastern Germany, where pro-Russian far-left and far-right parties are set to make unprecedented gains this weekend and later in the month.
The rise of far-left firebrand Sahra Wagenknecht provides a case study in the “horseshoe” theory of politics, which posits that extreme ends of the political spectrum share a lot more in common than they do with the centrist middle.
This fascinating politician also shows how much the traditional left-right classifications in Western democracies have broken down — a phenomenon that applies to the U.K., U.S. and many other places as well.
Another excellent scoop came from our Brexit reporter in London, who revealed that the U.K.’s new transport minister got an award-winning railway engineer fired for speaking to media about safety concerns.
This continues POLITICO’s scrutiny of the new Labour government, which is struggling with numerous governance questions. These range from empty fiscal cupboards to good old-fashioned nepotism to difficulty keeping tabs on so many novice MPs.
I’m proud to say that we at POLITICO are completely non-partisan and totally committed to exposing sanctimony, hypocrisy and malfeasance wherever it may be.
One of our other, admittedly quite difficult, jobs is to try to make the politics of Brussels and the EU lively and “sexy”. 
I think we mostly do a decent job on this front but, when I read pieces like this from colleagues of mine in other parts of the world, I sometimes wonder if we can ever truly compete.
But wait, you say, we have Thierry Breton! 
Unfortunately (from a news perspective, fortunately for our citizenry), Breton and his antics pale in comparison. The truth is, no Eurocrat could ever rival the current king of Thailand and his penchant for Air Marshal poodles, militarized concubines, skimpy clothing and the Bavarian Alps.
On that note, I bid you bon weekend,
Jamil
**A message from Oceana:  A healthy ocean is essential for climate resilience, food security, a thriving blue economy and prosperous coastal communities. It’s time for the EU to adopt an Ocean Deal that guarantees that all ocean-related EU polices preserve and restore the ocean, in a coherent manner. Find out more.**
Is Germany’s rising superstar so far left she’s far right?
We dug into the paradox personified by Germany’s rising star, Sahra Wagenknecht, as she dissolves old boundaries between the political left and right. It’s a formula that is playing well ahead of elections in the formerly communist east, where she offers an apparently less-extreme alternative to the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Read the story. 
Telegram CEO’s brother also wanted by French authorities
A fantastic, world-beating scoop that revealed Nikolai Durov, the co-founder of Telegram and the brother of Pavel, was also wanted by French police — and also that the investigation into the messaging app CEO actually kicked off in March, months earlier than initially reported. The story, based on a French administrative document seen exclusively by POLITICO, also revealed that the arrest warrants for the Durov brothers were issued after Telegram gave “no answer” to an earlier judicial request to identify a user of the app. Read the story. 
UK rail minister got engineer sacked for raising safety concerns
A jaw-dropping scoop, revealing the extent to which a senior government minister — then the boss of Britain’s rail network — pursued an apparent vendetta against a prominent engineer who voiced safety concerns about a London station. Diligent Freedom of Information Act work produced the emails, and the story rattles along at a great pace without ever getting too lost in the details. It set tongues wagging in Westminster and blew up on Twitter. Read the story.
Ursula von der Leyen has taken green enforcement behind closed doors
Only POLITICO could uncover such telling insights into Ursula von der Leyen, using our unique combination of data analysis and reporting. Through an exhaustive review of the EU’s legal proceedings over the last two decades, we discovered that von der Leyen has increasingly favored private, informal negotiations over official court battles when it comes to enforcing the EU’s green laws. Read the story. 
I went to Iceland for a road trip. I left with climate anxiety.
This sensitively observed postcard from Iceland brings home the mixed emotions experienced by our reporter as she witnesses the impact of climate change and eco-tourism on Iceland. Her self-diagnosis? Climate anxiety. Read the story.
Macron loves Telegram. French judges hate it.
This insightful, juicy read revealed the Telegram habit of many of France’s top political figures, including President Emmanuel Macron himself. Based on POLITICO’s deep sourcing within French political circles, the story featured this delicious line: “On Monday, while Telegram founder Pavel Durov was in French police custody, the president was shown as having been connected to the messaging platform ‘recently,’ a former MP with the French president’s number showed POLITICO on their phone.” Read the story. 
EU Confidential: Anne Applebaum on dictators big and small
In this episode of EU Confidential, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum. Her latest book, “Autocracy Inc.,” explores how authoritarian regimes are banding together against democracies, including EU countries. Listen to the episode.

Westminster Insider: Back to school briefing: A whirlwind guide to British politics in fall 2024
As Westminster heads back to work after the summer recess, host Jack Blanchard talks to six political experts about what’s coming up in the months ahead. Listen to the episode.

Power Play: Trump v Harris: How to win a TV election debate
With the U.S. presidential debate now confirmed, our guests explain the tips and tricks that could help Donald Trump or Kamala Harris win their first head-to-head encounter on Sept. 10 — and why there has been a pre-debate row over format and mics. Listen to the episode.

European politicians, take a leaf out of Trump’s book and sell off your old clothes. Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
“You join us live for the grand finale of the World Boring Championships.“
 Can you do better? Email [email protected] or on Twitter @pdallisonesque
Last week we gave you this photo:
 Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.,“ by Giovanni Cellini.
**A message from Oceana: The ocean is essential to the survival of every human being on the planet. A healthy ocean is necessary for climate resilience, food security, a thriving blue economy and prosperous coastal communities. The EU has more sea than land. It is therefore time to put the ocean at the heart of the EU by adopting an Ocean Deal that guarantees that all ocean-related EU policies preserve and restore the ocean, in a coherent manner. The Ocean Deal must rebuild abundant fish populations to underpin a prosperous fishing industry by fully implementing the Common Fisheries Policy; stop destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling from happening in Europe’s marine protected areas; improve consumer information on the seafood we eat, including if it is imported or processed; and disclose EU ownership of fishing vessels. There is an ocean of solutions. It is time for the EU to jump in. Find out more.**
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