Billionaire Telegram founder leaves his ‘£17bn’ fortune to his ‘106 children’ conceived naturally and sperm donation

By SABRINA PENTY and WILL STEWART

Published: 13:24 BST, 19 June 2025 | Updated: 13:35 BST, 19 June 2025

The billionaire founder of messaging platform Telegram will leave his fortune of £17 billion to the more than 100 children he has fathered.

Tech tycoon Pavel Durov, 40, has six children with three different partners and is believed to have around 100 more after he donated sperm on a mass scale to dozens of couples in 12 different countries. 

Durov revealed his plans to leave his fortune to all of his offspring in a recent interview with France’s Le Point magazine, saying that he saw no difference between the children he conceived naturally and those who came from donations. 

‘They are all my children and will all have the same rights’, Mr Durov said. ‘I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.’ 

But none of them will get any cash for 30 years, he revealed.

‘I want them to live like normal people, to build their lives on their own, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create—not to be dependent on a bank account’.

The billionaire first revealed that he had fathered several children via sperm donation last year after a Russian woman based in Switzerland claimed that he was the father to her three children. 

Irina Bolgar, 44, claimed in Russian Forbes that Durov had fathered her daughter and two sons, born in St Petersburg in 2013, 2016 and 2017, and that they carry his name. She also posted pictures of herself and her children.

Tech tycoon Pavel Durov, 40, has six children with three different partners and is believed to have around 100 more through an anonymous sperm donation

Russian-born billionaire entrepreneur and Telegram messenger founder Pavel Durov, 40, with Irina Bolgar, who claims she has given birth to three of their children

Pavel Durov pictured with girlfriend Yulia Vavilova

Mr Durov, whose messaging platform has over one billion monthly active users around the world, has been dubbed the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk of Russia.

His fortune is estimated at up to £17 billion.

Born in Russia, Durov spent many of his childhood years in Italy before returning to his homeland when his father, a scholar in ancient Roman literature, landed a new job at St Petersburg University.

Russian-born Durov is currently under judicial supervision in France after he was placed under investigation for alleged organised crime on Telegram. 

At the age of 21, he set up platform VK, which was dubbed the ‘Facebook of Russia’ at the time.

When he refused to provide data on Ukrainian protestors to Russian security agencies he was effectively forced to give up his company and moved abroad in 2014.

Mr Durov said the absence of any secure form of communication in Russia gave him the idea for Telegram. 

CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Pavel Durov attends the amfAR Gala Cannes 2025 presented by Chopard at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 22, 2025 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

The Russian entrepreneur said he abandoned attempts to settle in Berlin, London and San Francisco because of ‘bureaucratic hurdles’ put in his way and ended up living in Dubai.

He now has dual French and Emirati citizenship and remains the sole owner of Telegram.

Mr Durov, who is now based in Dubai, was detained and charged last year by French authorities amid an investigation into crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions associated with his app. 

In March, he denied any wrongdoing and returned to Dubai.  

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Billionaire Telegram founder leaves his ‘£17bn’ fortune to his ‘106 children’ conceived naturally and sperm donation

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