Geopolitics

One meta-note on the situation, is that in my timeline I have seen exactly zero non-western people defending Durov's arrest, but quite a few western people.

Definitely don't want to say that they don't exist (after all, my timeline is biased just like anyone's), just this is what my sample is so far.

IMO this is another example of the decoupling of liberalism and westernism that https://x.com/MacaesBruno often talks about.

Maybe you’re not getting as much feedback from the non-western people as you think

Lover of art and all things crypto 
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It all comes down to if his arrest was justified 
It’s possible that the people defending Durov are reflecting broader concerns about digital sovereignty and how power is exercised differently across regions.

Possible! The sample of Durov defenders I saw did include people from Russia, China and the Middle East though, it wasn't just one or two people.