The 40-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur, who now lives in Dubai and holds both French and UAE citizenship, revealed that his inheritance plans are already set. 

In a conversation with French magazine Le Point, Pavel Durov said all his children, both those born through natural conception and others via anonymous sperm donations, will be treated equally in his will. But none of them will see a single cent for the next 30 years.

“I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today. 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,” he stated.

Pavel Durov is officially the father of six children with three different partners. However, he disclosed that more than 100 other children were conceived through sperm he began donating 15 years ago, initially to help a friend. 

“The clinic, where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries,” he said.

“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.”

Durov’s decision to formalise his estate comes amid serious legal challenges. French authorities arrested him in 2024 at Bourget Airport near Paris, accusing him of failing to moderate Telegram’s content and of neglecting to cooperate with law enforcement on issues like drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and financial fraud. He has always rejected the accusations.

“Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” he told Le Point, calling the accusations “totally absurd.”

Telegram, which Durov founded in 2013 after being ousted from VKontakte for refusing Kremlin censorship demands, now boasts more than a billion active users. 

The app has become a haven for those seeking privacy, but its loose moderation policies have triggered reviews across multiple jurisdictions. Reports say its architecture enables the rapid spread of misinformation and illegal content, from far-right extremism to paedophilic material.

Even with challenges, Durov is still adamant about Telegram’s mission and autonomy. He insists the company will never be sold and will instead transition to a non-profit foundation if he dies.

“If I disappear, a non-profit foundation will take over. My goal is to ensure the platform’s continuity: I want it to continue existing independently, regardless of privacy and freedom of expression.”

The billionaire downplays his wealth, even though estimates from Bloomberg and Forbes place it between $13.9 billion and $17 billion. “Since I’m not selling Telegram, it doesn’t matter. I don’t have this money in a bank account. My liquid assets are much lower – and they don’t come from Telegram: they come from my investment in bitcoin in 2013,” he told the magazine.

The Russian-born billionaire was detained at Le Bourget airport on August 24, around 8 PM, as he arrived in Paris at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron. 

Durov’s arrest emanated from accusations that he may be held responsible for illegal activities conducted by users on Telegram, a messaging app that now has 950 million users worldwide.

In his statement, Pavel Durov mentioned that he was surprised about the accusations, particularly given that Telegram has an official compliance representative in the European Union (EU) to address such issues. He noted that French authorities had multiple ways to reach him but chose not to utilize those channels. 

“Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram,” Durov wrote.

He continued by explaining that the EU representative’s contact information has always been publicly available: “Telegram has an official representative in the EU that accepts and replies to EU requests. Its email address has been publicly available for anyone in the EU who googles ‘Telegram EU address for law enforcement.’”

Pavel Durov further noted that as a French citizen, he had previously engaged with French authorities and even helped set up a hotline with Telegram to address terrorism-related issues. 

The Telegram CEO condemned the French authorities’ decision to hold him personally responsible for illegal activities conducted by users on his platform, describing it as a “misguided approach.”

“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself. Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach. Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools,” Durov stated.

Pavel Durov also highlighted the challenges of balancing user privacy with law enforcement requirements, adding that Telegram has been committed to engaging with regulators globally to find the right equilibrium. However, he acknowledged that this is not always possible, particularly in countries with weak rule of law.

“Establishing the right balance between privacy and security is not easy. You have to reconcile privacy laws with law enforcement requirements, and local laws with EU laws. You have to take into account technological limitations,” he said. Durov reiterated that while Telegram is committed to protecting users’ rights, it is also open to dialogue with regulators.

Contrary to media reports that have portrayed Telegram as a platform for unchecked illegal activities, Durov clarified that the company takes meaningful steps to moderate harmful content. 

“We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports. We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster,” Durov explained. However, he conceded that the platform’s rapid growth to 950 million users had brought “growing pains,” making it easier for criminals to exploit it. 

Pavel Durov pledged to enhance Telegram’s content moderation efforts, stating: “That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon.”

Since his arrest, Durov has been placed under judicial supervision in France. He faces charges related to poor content moderation on Telegram, including accusations of terrorism and drug trafficking. Under the court’s orders, Durov is banned from leaving French territory and must report to the police twice a week. 

Despite these legal challenges, Durovsays: “I hope that the events of August will result in making Telegram — and the social networking industry as a whole — safer and stronger. Thanks again for your love and memes,” he concluded.

In his statement, Durov also revealed that Telegram’s user base has now reached 950 million for the first time, a commendable increase from the previous official figure of 800 million. This points to the app’s growing influence despite the controversies surrounding its content moderation policies.

Full Statement:

“ Thanks everyone for your support and love!

Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.

This was surprising for several reasons: 

1. Telegram has an official representative in the EU that accepts and replies to EU requests. Its email address has been publicly available for anyone in the EU who googles “Telegram EU address for law enforcement”. 
2. The French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance. As a French citizen, I was a frequent guest at the French consulate in Dubai. A while ago, when asked, I personally helped them establish a hotline with Telegram to deal with the threat of terrorism in France.
3. If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself. Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach. Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools. 

Establishing the right balance between privacy and security is not easy. You have to reconcile privacy laws with law enforcement requirements, and local laws with EU laws. You have to take into account technological limitations. As a platform, you want your processes to be consistent globally, while also ensuring they are not abused in countries with weak rule of law. We’ve been committed to engaging with regulators to find the right balance. Yes, we stand by our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we’ve always been open to dialogue.

Sometimes we can’t agree with a country’s regulator on the right balance between privacy and security. In those cases, we are ready to leave that country. We’ve done it many times. When Russia demanded we hand over “encryption keys” to enable surveillance, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Russia. When Iran demanded we block channels of peaceful protesters, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Iran. We are prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles, because we are not doing this for money. We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated.

All of that does not mean Telegram is perfect. Even the fact that authorities could be confused by where to send requests is something that we should improve. But the claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue. We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports (like this or this ). We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.

However, we hear voices saying that it’s not enough. Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon. 

I hope that the events of August will result in making Telegram — and the social networking industry as a whole — safer and stronger. Thanks again for your love and memes .”

These charges include complicity in web mastering an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions within an organized group. 

Other charges against him involve the refusal to provide requested information to authorities for investigation, complicity in possessing and distributing pornographic images of minors and engaging in the distribution, offering, and sale of narcotics through his platform. 

Durov was taken into police custody at 8 p.m on Saturday, and the arrest is said to be part of a judicial investigation that commenced on July 8, 2024, led by Section J3 – JUNALCO (Fight Against Cybercrime) of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.

In addition, Pavel Durov is accused of complicity in organized fraud, selling or making available tools and programs designed to gain unauthorized access to automated data processing systems, and association with a criminal organization with intent to commit crimes punishable by up to five years or more in prison.

The charges also extend to allegations of money laundering from organized criminal activities, providing cryptology services without proper certification, and importing cryptology tools without prior declaration, which could be used to bypass authentication and integrity monitoring.

The judicial process has been intense, with investigative magistrates requesting the involvement of the Centre for the Fight Against Cybercrime (C3N) and the Anti-Fraud National Office (ONAF) to aid in the investigation. 

Durov’s custody was extended by an investigative magistrate, with the potential to extend up to 96 hours, depending on the requirements of the investigation.

These charges, if proven, could result in Durov facing up to 20 years in prison. The situation is continuously unfolding as the investigation progresses, with authorities delving deeper into the role of Telegram and Durov’s involvement in these alleged criminal activities.

Following a steep decline of nearly 20% after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, Toncoin has rebounded by 1.5% in the last 24 hours.

Toncoin, originally associated with Telegram’s blockchain project that was halted in 2020 due to legal challenges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), made a good comeback. 

The cryptocurrency, which is now available on several major exchanges, gained interest, further bolstered by an endorsement from Telegram’s founder.

After Durov’s arrest in France, The Open Network took to social media to communicate solidarity with its founder. In a statement released via X (formerly Twitter), the network reaffirmed its focus on free speech and decentralisation, core values championed by Durov. 

The message encouraged the TON community to remain united and continue supporting the project during this challenging period.

The statement read: “Following the recent news related to the Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, we want to assure everyone that the TON community remains strong and fully operational.

As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly by Pavel during this challenging time. Pavel has been a dedicated advocate for these values, and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized internet will continue to inspire millions.

The TON community remains focused on our mission, and we will continue our work to uphold these principles globally. We encourage everyone to stay calm, united, and to keep building as we navigate this situation together. Thank you for your continued support.”

Durov was reportedly detained on Saturday at Paris Le Bourget airport upon arrival from Azerbaijan. Accompanied by a security guard and an unidentified woman, Durov now faces several serious charges, including allegations of terrorism, drug-related offences, fraud, money laundering, and facilitating illegal content on his Telegram platform, which has over 800 million users globally.

In response to his arrest, a social media movement under the hashtag #FreePavel has gained attention, with Elon Musk and journalist Tucker Carlson supporting the call for his release.

Toncoin experienced a fall in response to the news, with its value plunging by over 20% on the day of Durov’s arrest. The cryptocurrency has since recovered by 12% and has continued to stabilise, showing a modest 1.5% gain in the past 24 hours. 

As of now, Toncoin trades at approximately $5.66, although it remains 31.7% below its all-time high of $8.25.

The TON blockchain has become one of the fastest-growing networks, largely due to its integration with Telegram. This partnership is proving important in attracting new users to the Web3 space, with Telegram’s wide user base serving as a powerful tool for onboarding.

Notably, play-to-earn crypto games hosted on Telegram and supported by the TON blockchain, such as Hamster Kombat, have attracted millions of players globally, further bolstering TON in the crypto industry.