Who is Juli Vavilova, the influencer who accompanied the Telegram creator during his arrest?

The recent Stop of Pavel Durov the founder and CEO of Telegram has caused a great international stir in recent days.

Known as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg,” the 39-year-old billionaire was arrested by French authorities last weekend following a preliminary investigation into crimes including: drug trafficking and promotion of terrorism.

At the time of his arrest, the creator of the popular encrypted messaging app was not entirely alone. And he was accompanied on the plane by a young woman named Juli Vavilova who has been in the spotlight for his role in the police intervention in the French capital.

Vavilova, 24, is a influencer Russian who lives in Dubai. Your social media content is primarily based on travels although he also frequently addresses other topics such as video games and cryptocurrency investing . She is passionate about horses and exercise.

The young woman has multiple platforms, including Instagram -where he has more than 20,000 subscribers-, TikTok, YouTube and Telegram. According to his descriptions, in addition to speaking his native language, he also knows three other languages: English, Spanish and Arabic .

In her role as a Twitch streamer, Vavilova has been shown playing different video games while talking about cryptocurrencies and security. She has also participated in podcasts where she has talked about personal growth and her life story.

As seen in his latest publications, Vavilova recently made a trip to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan . He also crossed Azerbaijan where he visited the country’s cybersecurity service.

None of these photographs shows the face of the creator of Telegram. However, images he shared on his own accounts, including those showing a cannon and a shooting range, suggest they may have been together on that trip to Central Asia.

They also released recordings showing a blonde woman, physically similar to Vavilova, with Durov and others in a restaurant in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

According to Daily Mail It has been speculated that the images posted by Vavilova on Instagram led French authorities to follow Durov’s private plane as it arrived in France.

Because the influencer was with the Telegram creator when she was arrested, it was suggested that they might be a couple, which has not yet been confirmed by them. However, according to the British site, the relationship is known in some circles in Dubai.

The UAE city has also been the Russian tycoon’s home in recent years, after he left his homeland in 2014 under pressure from Vladimir Putin to shut down opposition politicians’ pages on his VK platform.

The influencer’s mother, named Ekaterina, assured that she had not been able to communicate with her daughter before the plane arrived in France. . He doesn’t even answer the phone. “We get all the news from the media,” the woman told Komsomolskaya Pravda.

“Our phones keep ringing, but only journalists are calling. Please understand our position,” Vavilova’s mother added.

On Saturday, August 24, shortly after his private jet arrived at Le Bourget airport, Durov was arrested by the air transport gendarmerie.

Prior to this, an arrest warrant had been issued against the billionaire in connection with an investigation into several crimes, such as fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, promotion of terrorism, money laundering and child sexual abuse .

According to the French prosecutor’s office, Durov became an accomplice to this series of crimes because he failed to moderate content that promoted the crime. and has not cooperated with authorities investigating crimes committed in this area.

In 2013, Durov and his brother Nikolai launched Telegram as an encrypted messaging app. Its goal was to be an alternative to WhatsApp.

The app, headquartered in Dubai, has been translated into more than 20 languages ​​and has more than 900 million users worldwide, making it one of the most used networks in the world along with Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Youtube and others.

One of its most distinctive features is its unlimited cloud synchronization, which allows its users to access their messages from different locations, without depending on a single device.

Telegram is also characterized by its commitment to freedom of expression. By having encrypted conversations, the social network exercises little control over users’ posts. This has allowed the platform to be widely used by those living in countries with authoritarian governments, but it has also made it a space where illegal or harmful content can easily spread. .

After Durov’s arrest, the company issued a release warning that Telegram “complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act” and that the moderation they carry out “is in line with industry standards.”

“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels across Europe. It is absurd to claim that any platform or its owner is responsible for abuses committed on this platform. “Nearly a billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and a source of vital information,” they add in the message.

This arrest has sparked divided reactions in recent days. President of France , Emmanuel Macron assured that “The arrest of the Telegram president on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation” and that it is not a “political decision”. “It is the judges who must decide on this matter.”

While the CEO of X , Elon Musk who also spoke out in favor of excessive moderation of content on his network, suggested that Durov be released. “It’s 2030 in Europe and they’re executing you because you like a meme” wrote.

The Russian billionaire was released from police custody in Paris on Wednesday and transferred to court for questioning, according to reports. cnn .