Telegram CEO’s travel partner can’t be reached, mother says

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The apparent female travel companion of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has either gone missing or is laying low following his arrest in France.

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Juli Vavilova, based in Dubai, is a 24-year-old Russian-born social media influencer living a jet-set lifestyle. She describes herself as a cryptocurrency coach and video game streamer and can also speak four languages, including Arabic, English and Spanish.

Following Durov’s arrest at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday on a flight from Azerbaijan over allegations that his messaging app is being used for drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images, Vavilova has gone quiet on social media and has apparently not responded to messages or calls from her family.

“We get all the news from the media,” Vavilova’s mother Ekaterina told Komsomolskaya Pravda, according to Britain’s Daily Mail.

“Our phones are ringing off the hook, but only journalists are calling.”

The mom also told Russia’s BAZA news outlet that her daughter’s phone is not being answered.

It is unclear what Vavilova’s relationship is with the Russian-born Durov or how they met. Durov is also based in Dubai, where he fled to a decade ago after refusing to hand over encrypted data to the Kremlin.

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According to reports of their social media accounts, Vavilova and Durov were both in Azerbaijan on Aug. 21. They also shared similar images from a shooting range and the hotel they were staying at.

“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,” French privacy data researcher Baptiste Robert, who shared his findings about the two on X, told the New York Post.

Telegram officials said in a statement that Durov was neither in hiding nor on the run as he “travels frequently in Europe.” He also holds French citizenship.

On Tuesday, a French judge extended police custody for Durov.

He is also accused of fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

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