By Jai Hamid

Compiled by: TechFlow

Summary of key points:

  • Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested by police in France, accompanied by a mysterious woman named Yulia Vavilova, who may be his girlfriend.

  • Yulia is a 24-year-old cryptocurrency influencer who often travels with Pavel and is almost always by his side.

  • Rumor has it that Yulia may have been responsible for Pavel’s arrest, but it’s unclear if she was just a close friend or something deeper.

You know that Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France about twenty-four hours ago, but what you didn’t know is that he wasn’t alone.

A mystery woman, believed to be his girlfriend, was also arrested with him. Family and friends have been unable to get in touch with her since the news broke. This woman may be the reason for his arrest.

The woman is reportedly Yulia Vavilova, a 24-year-old cryptocurrency coach and live streamer from Dubai, who has appeared with Pavel on several occasions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan, almost always with him.

She also joined him on a private jet when they arrived in Paris before they were arrested by French authorities.

We can’t say for sure if Yulia is Pavel’s girlfriend or just a close friend, but they are seen together too often to be a coincidence.

Whenever Pavel shows up somewhere, Yulia follows closely behind, posting Instagram stories from his private jet or chilling with Pavel in some fancy place.

She posted several photos with him while in Paris, which many in the crypto community believe led directly to the authorities finding them.

But Yulia is more than just a pretty face. She has a background in cryptocurrency, though it’s not apparent from her Instagram. But there are whispers that she may be the mastermind behind the whole thing.

Maybe she's a honeypot and leaked information to someone; maybe she's involved in some shady dealings that we don't know about yet. Who knows, she could be a spy.

Pavel currently faces serious charges. If French authorities decide to impose severe penalties on him, he could face up to 20 years in prison. He was detained for a maximum of four days while they decided whether to bring charges.