- Pavel Durov, recently released, shares painful memories of his detention
- Imprisoned without charge, the Telegram founder learned that his beloved was pregnant
- The pressure and accusations against Durov's lover that poured out in the public sphere ended tragically
Pavel Durov, recently released, shares painful memories of his detention
27 August 2024 Pavel Durov is now in his third day in a police station in Paris. "It was the third day. Without any devices or internet access, I felt like I was undergoing an extreme digital detox," he recalls. Although he was held in police custody without charge, he remained calm and cool.
During one of the many police interrogations, among the usual questions, Durov asked his lawyer about his beloved Yulia. "I asked my lawyer if my ❤️ Yulia would also come to the interrogation. He said that she should come, but she can't." After each question from his lawyer, Durov increasingly doubted the seriousness of the situation. "Scared? Left Paris?" - He continued to ask until he heard the unexpected answer, "She is pregnant."
Imprisoned without charge, the Telegram founder learned that his beloved was pregnant
The news, which should have been joyful, took him completely by surprise.
"It was not the answer I was expecting at that moment," Durov admits. Although he kept his cool throughout, the news briefly shattered his calm. "After a pause I said: "Thank you for the good news". The other people present - the translator, the clerk, the policeman - put on awkward smiles."
Soon afterward, Durov learned that the police had no idea how to break the news to him about Yulia's pregnancy because the circumstances were far from festive. "Yulia was alone in a strange country she had never been to before. No one knew when I could talk to her again."
When he was finally released, Julia was waiting for him four days later. "When I stepped onto the roof terrace, amazing fireworks exploded right before me," Durov recalls. However, even though it coincided with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the mood was less festive.
The pressure and accusations against Durov's lover that poured out in the public sphere ended tragically
While Pavel was being held in the police station, the pressure on Yulia kept mounting. "Some blogger started a rumor that she was a Mossad agent," he says, revealing the absurd speculation. "After her devices were confiscated, she couldn't access her Telegram and Instagram accounts for weeks."
This silence on social networks led to even more speculation, and Julia had to endure a growing stream of cyberbullying.
"The cyberbullying directed at her kept reaching new heights," says Durov. Despite this, Yulia remained strong, even though it was an experience she was not used to. "She's not made for war."
A few days after these events, Yulia had another ordeal when she visited the doctor who monitored her pregnancy. "I was in the middle of my 12-hour work day when Julia sent me a 😭😭😭 from the doctor's office. I knew immediately what was wrong," Durov concludes his story of his arrest and Yulia's pregnancy.
