Juli Vavilova, a 24-year-old "crypto coach" and video game streamer, has gone missing, fuelling online speculation that she was potentially involved in the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to hand over encrypted data to the Kremlin, has long been a target of international law enforcement. French authorities issued a search warrant for Mr Durov as part of an ongoing investigation by the Interior Ministry into alleged crimes against minors, including claims of complicity in global drug trafficking and paedophilia due to Telegram's lack of moderation and the platform's use of cryptocurrencies.
Ms Vavilova, who was reportedly travelling with Mr Durov before his arrest, has not been heard from since the tech mogul was detained at Le Bourget airport near Paris this past weekend. Ms Vavilova's family has been increasingly concerned, telling AFP that they have been unable to contact her since the incident.
French privacy data researcher Baptiste Robert has noted the potential implications of Ms Vavilova's social media activity. According to Mr Robert, Ms Vavilova's posts, which documented her travels through Azerbaijan with Pavel Durov, may have inadvertently revealed the Telegram founder's movements, leading to his arrest. "It's complicated to say if her posts played a direct role in his arrest, but if you were following her on social media, you could easily track Durov's movements," he told the NY Post.
Mr Robert's compilation of Juli Vavilova's posts shared on X, shows a striking correlation between her travels and Mr Durov's known itinerary. This includes videos of the duo together in Uzbekistan and also a picture that showed Ms Vavilova in the passenger seat of Mr Durov's car in Azerbaijan on August 21.
Other posts indicate they visited the same shooting range and hotel in the Azerbaijani capital. Despite their seemingly close relationship, the exact nature of their connection remains unclear. It is unknown when or how they met, but both live in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered.
However, the timing of her disappearance and the arrest of Mr Durov has fuelled theories that she may have been used as a 'honey-trap' by those seeking to capture the elusive tech billionaire. Despite these speculations, no concrete evidence has emerged linking her to any such plot.
Durov's company has stated that the 39-year-old was not in hiding nor on the run, as he regularly travelled to Europe as a dual-French citizen.
