Julie Vavilova, who was reportedly travelling with Durov before his arrest, has not been heard from since the techie was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris last weekend.
Julie Vavilova, a 24-year-old “crypto coach” and video game streamer, has disappeared, fuelling online speculation that she is connected to the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to hand over encrypted documents to the Kremlin, has long been a target of international law enforcement. French authorities have issued a warrant for Mr Durov as part of an ongoing investigation by the Interior Ministry into alleged crimes against children, including claims of interference in the international drug trade and paedophilia because Telegram has no influence and the platform uses cryptocurrencies.
Vavilova, who was reportedly travelling with Mr Durov before his arrest, has not been heard from since the techie’s arrest at Le Bourget airport near Paris last weekend. Vavilova’s family are growing increasingly concerned, telling AFP they have not been able to contact her since the incident.
French privacy researcher Baptiste Robert said Ms Vavilova’s social media presence had an impact. According to Mr Robert, Ms Vavilova’s posts, which mentioned she had travelled to Azerbaijan with Pavel Durov, may not have revealed the Telegram founder’s activities that led to his arrest. “It’s hard to say whether her posts played a direct role in his arrest, but if you’re following him on social media, you can easily track Durov’s movements,” he told the NY Post.
Mr Robert compiled a collection of Julie Vavilova’s posts in X, showing a connection between her travels and Mr Durov’s alleged itinerary. It also included a video of the two together in Uzbekistan and a photo showing Ms Vavilova in the passenger seat of Mr Durov’s car in Azerbaijan on August 21.
Other reports indicate that they visited the same shoot and hotel in the Azerbaijani capital. Although they appear to be related, the truth of their connection is still unclear. It is not known when or how they met, but both live in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered.
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com
However, the timing of his disappearance and Mr Durov’s arrest has fuelled speculation that he may have been used as a ‘honey trap’ by those trying to catch an unknown suspect. Despite these theories, no concrete evidence has emerged linking him to any such incident.
Durov’s company said the 39-year-old is not in hiding or on the run, as he travels regularly to Europe as a dual-French citizen.
