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Who Is Juli Vavilova? The Crypto Coach Linked to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest
Who Is Juli Vavilova? The Crypto Coach Linked to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest
The French police arrested Pavel Durov, the CEO of the popular messenger Telegram, along with a young woman named Juli Vavilova, who in the meantime became an object of speculation about Durov’s arrest.
Last Saturday, the incident created quite a stir online because of speculations as to whether Vavilova’s social media and videos could play a factor in Durov’s detention.
The Russian-born entrepreneur was held for a second day of questioning in Paris on Monday over his platform’s alleged failure to curb criminal activities of several types. In spite of that, Durov says he has “nothing to hide.”
Durov, who arrived in Paris from Baku, Azerbaijan reportedly planned to dine out in the French capital. He was traveling with a bodyguard and a personal assistant, both of whom are his routine companions.
It has been assumed that Durov’s arrest may be related to that of Dubai-based 24-year-old crypto coach and social media influencer Vavilova. Days before his arrest, she was spotted many times with him.
The two had visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan before arriving in France, where both were detained upon their arrival at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
Online investigators noted that Vavilova had posted photos of their travels on Instagram; the more conspiratorial among them theorized that her use of social media had been how police had found them.
A source close to the case said he was surprised that Durov flew to France despite the warrant against him, adding that it meant he apparently felt some impunity. Predicta Lab CEO Baptiste Robert, whose firm deals with misinformation online, also posted a video of Vavilova from OSINT account Amir Intel.
Also Read: Telegram Defends CEO Pavel Durov Amid Arrest, Claims He Has ‘Nothing to Hide’
The latter thanked friends for continuing to help her evade Russian sanctions by taking cryptocurrency payments directly to her. Robert also added that it was never clear whether the two, Vavilova and Durov, were an item.
