A Russian-born billionaire has claimed to have fathered more than 100 children, and said they will all share his £10,000,000,000 fortune.
Pavel Durov, 40, became a billionaire after creating the messaging app Telegram, but has now told French media that despite being the ‘official father’ of six, he has more than 100 others.
He said he began donating sperm 15 years ago to help a friend, who revealed more than 100 babies were conceived by him in 12 countries.
‘They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death,’ he told Le Point.
His plethora of children might be promised part of his fortune, but they won’t be able to access it for 30 years, he added.
‘I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account,’ Durov added.
Who is Pavel Durov?
Pavel Durov was born to Russian parents in St Petersburg on October 10, 1984. He attended St Petersburg State University before creating ‘Russian Facebook’.
Durov founded the so-called Russian Facebook – named VK – as well as Telegram messenger, which is used for communications by both sides in the Ukrainian war.
Durov left Russia in 2014, just a year after setting up the encrypted messaging app with his brother, due to pressure from Russian security services.
Durov’s fortune is estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion.
He’s been living in self-imposed exile since 2014, basing himself out of Dubai, France, St Kitts, and other countries.
Details of Durov’s arrest
Durov made headlines last year when he was banned from leaving France after he was charged with allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app Telegram.
It was alleged that Pavel Durov’s platform is used for child sex abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to cooperate with investigators when legally required.
One investigator told AFP they were surprised Durov entered France despite the warrant against him, adding ‘enough of Telegram’s impunity’.
Russia, however, has branded the arrest as politically motivated and proof of a double standard on freedom of speech in the West.
But this has raised some eyebrows, given that Russian authorities have tried to ban Telegram, and Durov has been in self-imposed exile since 2014 due to conflicts with the Russian government.
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