Pavel Durov’s companion during the arrest: Who is Yulia Vavilova?

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In the tech world, it is the scandal of the week: Pavel Durov, billionaire founder of the messenger Telegram, has been arrested. Police took him into custody last Saturday at Paris’ Le Bourget airport, when Durov had just got off his private jet. He was released on Wednesday evening – but he may still not escape charges. He is due to appear in court soon.

The list of accusations is long: The Paris public prosecutor’s office accuses Durow of, among other things, aiding and abetting fraud, drug trafficking and the organized distribution of child abuse material on Telegram. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

But there is another subplot that is also the cause of wild speculation online. It concerns a young woman who is said to have been at Durow’s side when he was arrested – and who has since disappeared for unknown reasons.

Rumors about possible spy on board Pavel Durov

We are talking about Yulia Wawilova: The 24-year-old is said to be a streamer and crypto influencer from Dubai, or at least that is what her information suggests. Wawilova is followed by almost 30,000 people there.

It is unclear what kind of relationship she has with Pavel Durov. On the social network X, some claim that the two are a couple. Others speculate that Yulia Vavilova could be a spy who made it possible for the French authorities to gain access to Durov. There is no evidence for this.

In any case, Vavilova and Durov seem to have known each other for some time and to have traveled together, as data analyst Baptiste Robert illustrated in a report. According to him, Durov has probably been under surveillance by numerous intelligence agencies for a long time. Yulia Vavilova may have played a role in this. “It’s hard to say whether her posts played a direct role in his arrest,” Robert told the New York Post, “but if you followed her on social media, you could easily track Durov’s movements.”

Just last week, Vavilova posted some photos and videos on Instagram showing her fishing at a lake and a shooting range in Azerbaijan. According to data analyst Baptiste Robert, Durov was also there. Another indication: the Telegram founder’s private jet came from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, before landing in Paris. His stay in the country also fueled rumors that Pavel Durov may have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was also in Baku last week. However, a Kremlin spokesman has denied this.

Family cannot reach Yulia Vavilova

There have been considerable tensions between Russia and Telegram founder Pavel Durov in the past. The disputes mainly revolved around issues of censorship, control over information and state surveillance. Durov has therefore been living in exile since 2014, most recently in Dubai. The fact that the French authorities are looking for the billionaire is unclear. Why Durov flew to Paris last Saturday anyway is unclear.

This also applies for the time being to the whereabouts of his companion, Yulia Vavilova. She has not been reachable since her arrival in Paris, and her Russian parents on Tuesday. Was she also arrested or has she possibly gone into hiding? One thing seems certain: the story of Yulia Vavilova and her mysterious whereabouts adds another exciting detail to the already opaque case of Pavel Durov.

This text was updated after Durov’s release from police custody.