A RUSSIAN woman seen with Telegram founder Pavel Durov has vanished after the billionaire was arrested in Paris.
Yulia Vavilova, 24, arrived at the French capitol with Durov – but is nowhere to be seen since he was detained near his private jet on Saturday.
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Vavilova’s family in Russia claims Vavilova has been unreachable on the phone – and say they don’t know if she has been arrested as well or if she is just laying low.
Mum Ekaterina told Russian media outlets: “We got the news [of Durov’s arrest] from the media.
“[Since then] Yulia’s phone is not answering.”
Footage shows Vavilova having breakfast with Durov and his pals in Baku, Azerbaijan, shortly before they boarded the private jet to Paris.
Another clip, reportedly shot by Vavilova, shows Durov driving around in Kazakhstan – just days before his arrest.
They were also seen together firing shots at a shooting range in Azerbaijan.
Her social media postings allegedly gave French cops Durov’s movements ahead of his visit to France where he was held.
Originally from Moscow, Vavilova has lived in Dubai for over two years.
Dubbed “Crypto Coach”, she is a crypto investor who runs a channel about cryptocurrency in Arabic – a language she speaks fluently.
It comes as prosecutors in France say Durov’s arrest is part of a wider investigation “against person unnamed” based on a slew of potential charges related to the Telegram app.
The probe is purportedly concerned with insufficient moderation of the platform, with Durov being accused of neglecting to take action to prevent unlawful use of Telegram.
Telegram is one of the most-used encrypted messaging services in the world, with just shy of a billion users.
The app is commonly referred to as an “encrypted” service, meaning the contents of messages are scrambled so they can only be deciphered using a secret decryption key.
While the app was designed for the fairly innocuous purpose of safeguarding user privacy, this made it equally attractive to bad actors.
A case was opened last month to investigate criminal activities including drug sales, child pornography and fraud on the platform, the New York Times reports.
Authorities say that the platform’s lack of moderation, neglect to collaborate with law enforcement, and the instruments it provides – including disposable numbers and cryptocurrency – make it an accomplice in the unlawful acts allegedly found on the app.
Durov is even said to have “failed to stop terrorism” on his platform in the name of free speech.
However, the Russian-born technocrat has refuted allegations that he let these crimes take place.
Telegram has slammed the “absurd claim” against its founder and CEO, saying Durov has “nothing to hide” after being arrested.
The company said in a statement: “Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards.
“Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
Despite Durov’s contested history with the Kremlin, the Russian Embassy in France released a statement on X calling for his release.
“We immediately asked the French authorities for an explanation of the reasons and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted,” the post read.
“As of today, the French side has so far avoided cooperation on this issue.” The embassy said it remains in contact with Durov’s lawyer.
A self-exiled tech mogul
PAVEL Durov has been in self-imposed exile primarily because of his conflicts with the Russian government over issues related to censorship, privacy, and political freedom.
The main reason for Durov’s exile stems from his time as the CEO of VKontakte (VK), the social media platform he founded.
During the 2011-2012 anti-Putin protests, Russian authorities demanded that Durov hand over the personal data of protest organizers and shut down opposition groups on VK.
Durov refused to comply with these demands, which put him on a collision course with the Russian government.
In 2014, Durov was again pressured by Russian authorities, this time over his refusal to block a VK group that supported the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests and his refusal to hand over the data of Ukrainian users to the FSB (Federal Security Service).
Following these incidents, he faced legal challenges, and his control over VK was weakened.
In April 2014, Durov was forced to resign as CEO of VK, and soon after, he sold his remaining shares in the company.
This resignation and sale were likely not voluntary but a result of immense pressure from Russian authorities and possibly from business interests close to the Kremlin.
After losing control of VK, Durov decided to leave Russia, stating that the country was “incompatible with internet business at the moment.”
Since leaving Russia in 2014, Durov has lived in self-imposed exile.
He became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis through an economic citizenship program and has lived in various countries, adopting a nomadic lifestyle.
Durov continued to advocate for privacy, freedom of speech, and resistance to government surveillance—principles that are often at odds with the policies of the Russian government.
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