Pavel Durov, the guy behind Telegram, got arrested when he landed in Paris from Azerbaijan. French police were waiting for him because they think he didn’t do enough to stop bad stuff from happening on his app.
There’s a lot of talk online that Durov might have been tricked by a woman named Juli Vavilova, who was seen with him traveling around Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan.
Juli posted pictures of their trips on Instagram, including one inside Durov’s private jet. Some people think these posts might have helped the police track Durov down.
So, while there’s a bunch of speculation about Durov being set up, especially with Juli’s social media posts, nothing is confirmed yet. It’s all based on what people have seen online.
Based on the pictures, there are speculations that Vavilova was with Durov when the French authorities arrested the Telegram CEO. However, there is no confirmation if she was arrested as well.
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WHO IS JULI VAVILOVA?
Pavel Durov, the guy who runs Telegram, got arrested in Paris. People are talking about a woman named Juli Vavilova, who might have been involved. Juli is into gaming and streaming on Twitch, and she lives in Dubai like Durov. She has over 22,600 followers on Instagram and can speak English, Spanish, and Russian.
Juli was posting pictures and videos from the same places Durov went to, like Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Some think her posts might have helped the police find Durov.
Even though they were doing similar things, like shooting targets, they didn’t appear in each other’s videos. So, there’s a lot of talk about Durov being set up, but nothing is confirmed yet. It’s all based on what people have seen online.
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On August 21, Pavel Durov posted on his VK account: “Telegram delegation visit to Azerbaijan.”
Pavel Durov, the guy behind Telegram, shared a video of himself shooting at targets at a ranch. Juli Vavilova, a social media influencer, posted a video from the same ranch doing the same thing.
They also both posted videos from inside the same car. There’s a video going around on social media that shows them together on trips to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan.
According to an AFP report, Durov’s detention could be extended to 96 hours. When this phase of detention ends, the judge can then decide to free him or press charges and remand him in further custody.
In response to Durov’s arrest, Telegram said that he has “nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe”.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards,” it added. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
