Who is Juli Vavilova, the mystery woman who was travelling with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov when he was arrested?

Rumor mills are rife with conspiracy theories over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities over the weekend. According to unverified claims flooding social media, Juli Vavilova, a woman who was traveling with Durov when he was arrested at Le Bourget airport, may have had something to do with his detention.

Who is Juli Vavilova

The 24-year-old, said to be a “crypto coach” and a video game streamer, had been seen with Durov on his recent trips to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan, despite the nature of their relationship being unknown.?

CREDIT: REUTERS

Was Juli Vavilova leaking?Telegram CEO's location?

According to online conspiracy theories, Vavilova had been regularly posting photos of their travel, which she was allegedly doing with the intention of giving away the location of the Telegram CEO.

It is alleged that Vavilova was a spy who was tasked with monitoring and covertly reporting Durov's location and movements to the authorities. Vavilova, who is said to be a resident of Dubai, is reportedly missing after Durov's arrest, adding more fuel to the conspiracy theories.?

Also read:?This is not the first time Telegram's Pavel Durov has landed in trouble, it was with Putin in 2014 over VK

Daughter of Russian agents?

While Vavilova's background is yet unclear, the name rings a bell with intelligence circles. That is because Elena Vavilova and her husband Andrei Bezrukov were Russian spies who lived in Canada and were busted in 2010.

They lived under the names Tracy Lee Ann Foley and Donald Howard Heathfield and had two children. Though many on social media have linked Juli to the KGB spies, the couple does not have any daughters, but two sons.

Russians see American hand

Though Durov was arrested in France, some in his home country, Russia, see the U.S. hand in the whole operation. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's Duma, the lower house of parliament, is among those claiming that Durov was arrested at the behest of Washington.

CREDIT: REUTERS

"Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platforms over which the United States has no influence. On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to take Telegram under control," Volodin said in a Telegram post.

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