The detained Durov had planned to spend one day in Paris. What was he going to do there and who accompanied him? According to Le Figaro and Agence France-Presse, the Russian entrepreneur and programmer intended to have dinner in the French capital. He was reportedly on board a private jet, presumably with a companion.
"Now he has gone too far." Telegram founder Pavel Durov has ended up in custody in France. What will happen to the messenger now? Durov has been arrested in France. What are the charges he is facing, up to 20 years in prison?
Durov's companion during the trip could have been Vavilova. On Instagram (a social network banned in Russia; owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and prohibited in Russia), she portrays herself as a gamer, streamer, crypto investor, and runs a channel about cryptocurrency in Arabic. According to social media, she resides in and often ends up in the same places as Durov. For example, on August 16, Vavilova posted stories about her arrival in Azerbaijan from. A possible companion, crypto educator Yulia Vavilova. Photo: Telegram channel. On the night of August 25, the girl stopped appearing online. Vavilova's relatives tell a journalist that since August 24, she has stopped contacting them. One of the relatives of the crypto educator said that the last time she talked to her mom was two days ago. Today, the woman tried to call her daughter, but she did not answer. In turn, the possible companion's father said that he communicated with the girl on August 2 when he congratulated her on her birthday. He also said that his daughter planned to go to France.
However, Durov himself was not spotted in Vavilova's social media. They were recently seen together in a Dubai fitness club called Seven. The Russian Embassy reported that they do not have information about who was on board with Durov. On August 24, around 20:00, French special services detained Durov at Le Bourget airport in Paris upon exiting a private jet. According to the French TV channel TF1, 39-year-old Durov was accompanied by a girl and a bodyguard. The founder of Telegram was included in the French database of criminals and wanted persons. The French judicial authorities believe that Durov is involved in illegal activities carried out through his messenger, such as drug trafficking, child criminal offenses, and fraud. The Russian Embassy has sent a note requesting access to Durov, but the situation is complicated by the fact that Telegram's founder has French citizenship and Paris considers it his primary nationality.
