Detention at this early stage usually means investigators believe they have firm evidence, though formal charges haven’t been made public.
Now, authorities are revisiting those losses to see if they tie into this case. His background running Binance in Russia has only added to the attention on his activities.
All of that happens inside Telegram Mini Apps, where trading, rewards and airdrops are integrated. After the May 18 news, many in the community are now unsure the airdrop will happen on schedule.
According to a statement on X, Blum confirmed Smerkis has resigned as chief marketing officer and will have no further role. The team says daily operations will carry on as usual and that focus remains on delivering the token event. Still, details on who now oversees marketing and airdrop logistics are scarce, leaving some users uneasy.
We would like to inform our community that Vladimir Smerkis has stepped down from his role as CMO and is no longer involved in the development of the project or in any co-founder capacity.
The code behind the Telegram Mini App may be solid—but in crypto, trust in people matters just as much. How Blum handles transparency and governance now will determine if it recovers its momentum or becomes a cautionary tale for other Telegram‑based projects.
Featured image from TechNext, chart from TradingView
