1 week ago
Pavel Durov is simply a billionaire tech leader pinch a quality - nan Telegram CEO rejects nan accustomed trappings of wealth, specified arsenic yachts and luxury property, saying he prioritises his 'freedom' supra each else.
Durov's Instagram is afloat of pictures flaunting his physique and jetset lifestyle, and he has proudly stated that he is simply a vegetarian who enjoys 'getting up early' and speaks 9 overseas languages.
The 39-year-old says he likes surviving unsocial and is believed to beryllium single, but besides claims to have fathered much than 100 children aft suggesting women want his 'high-quality' genes.
He has drawn comparisons pinch chap tycoons Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, whose takeover of Twitter was lauded by Durov successful a caller question and reply pinch US TV big Tucker Carlson.
But now nan Russian tech wizard could look situation for failing to forestall nan misuse of his level for criminal activities, pinch French constabulary swooping connected him erstwhile he landed astatine an airdrome adjacent Paris connected Saturday night.
He is expected to look charges of complicity successful supplier trafficking, crimes against children and fraud, owed to a deficiency of moderation controls connected Telegram, and his nonaccomplishment to cooperate pinch French rule enforcement.
Durov, who had been surviving successful Dubai, was successful self-imposed exile aft a run-in pinch nan Kremlin successful 2014 complete his refusal to manus complete information connected pro-Ukraine protesters to nan FSB information services.
A vocal advocator for free speech, he has resisted calls from governments astir nan world to return down contented from his platform, insisting: 'I would alternatively beryllium free than return orders from anyone.'
Pavel Durov's Instagram is afloat of pictures and videos of him flaunting his physique
A very different-looking Durov seen successful his 20s. He group up VK, dubbed nan 'Facebook of Russia', erstwhile he near assemblage astatine 21
Russian-born billionaire entrepreneur and Telegram messenger laminitis Pavel Durov, 39 (marked) pictured successful Kazakhstan days earlier he was detained successful France
World's richest man Elon Musk, who besides claims to beryllium a free reside absolutist, has travel retired successful support of Durov connected his level X, sharing footage of nan question and reply on pinch nan hastag 'Free Pavel'.
'We emotion nan truth that Elon bought Twitter. We thought it was a awesome improvement for a number of reasons,' Durov said successful nan clip.
He said he has a 'few 100 million' successful his slope relationship but nary awesome assets - 'no existent estate, jets aliases yachts' - 'I don't deliberation this manner is for me.
'My number 1 privilege successful life is my freedom. Once you commencement buying things, first it will necktie you down to a beingness location... nan 2nd is I for illustration to attraction connected what we are doing astatine Telegram.'
'I would alternatively make decisions that would power really a cardinal group pass alternatively than chose nan colour of nan seats successful a location that me, my relatives and a bunch of my friends would see.'
Durov was forced to fly Russia 10 years agone aft refusing to manus complete information connected pro-Ukraine protesters to Vladimir Putin's FSB information services.
He was quoted by TechCrunch successful 2014 arsenic saying: 'I don't person immoderate business successful Russia and person nary plans to return there. I person nary Russian citizenship anymore.'
He helped to move Moscow into an IT hotspot to rival Silicon Valley, but was forced to fly erstwhile VKontakte (VK) - nan level he started successful 2006 - ran into ownership difficulties he blamed connected nan Kremlin.
Dmitry Medvedev, nan lawman caput of Russia's Security Council, responded to nan news by mocking Durov, saying he wanted to beryllium a 'brilliant man of nan world' but had 'miscalculated' by leaving Russia and trusting nan West.
Irina Bolgar, 44, (pictured, centre) a Russian female based successful Switzerland, claimed he fathered her girl and 2 sons calved successful 2013, 2016 and 2017
'For each our communal enemies now, he is Russian and truthful unpredictable and dangerous,' he said. 'Durov should yet realise that 1 cannot take one's fatherland.'
The Kremlin has accused nan West of double standards connected free speech, pinch overseas ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying 'Do you deliberation this clip they will entreaty to Paris and request Durov's release, aliases will they swallow their tongues?'
Police swooped connected nan billionaire soon aft landing astatine nan Bourget airport, extracurricular Paris, pursuing a formation from Azerbaijan, French outlet TF1 info reported, citing an unnamed source.
Telegram laminitis and CEO Pavel Durov delivers a reside astatine a convention successful 2016
Sources suggested he was afloat alert that rule enforcement successful France had questions for him, and could move against him, pinch nan tech tycoon described arsenic a 'persona non grata' successful France.
'He made a correction tonight. We don't cognize why... Was this formation conscionable a stopover? In immoderate case, he's successful custody,' said nan source.
Despite this he was put connected nan wanted database only during his flight, opportunity French reports.
There are suggestions he could cooperate pinch nan French authorities but he has antecedently been observant not to recreation to jurisdictions wherever he could beryllium detained, including his ain adopted country, France.
His past video earlier his apprehension shows him driving freely successful Azerbaijan soon earlier leaving for Paris
Pictures person emerged showing Durov conscionable days earlier his apprehension successful Azerbaijan, surrounded by his entourage arsenic he goes up an escalator.
It is unclear why nan entrepreneur was successful nan country, and nan truth that his sojourn took spot connected nan aforesaid week that Putin visited has fixed emergence to speculation.
Durov reportedly landed successful Baku connected August 17 for business meetings, while Putin travelled location for an charismatic sojourn to meet pinch President Ilham Aliyev.
Observers suggested nan brace mightiness person met secretly, pinch erstwhile Kremlin scriptwriter Sergey Markov saying nan brace whitethorn person had an 'accidental meeting'.
The Kremlin-linked Baza Telegram transmission reported that Putin had refused a gathering pinch Durov, saying 'the logic is not clear'.
Durov has antecedently denied that he retains immoderate links to nan Russian government.
His past video earlier his apprehension shows him driving freely successful Azerbaijan soon earlier leaving for Paris.
Durov has dual French and Emirati citizenship and had been surviving successful Dubai earlier his arrest
Durov's Instagram is afloat of pictures flaunting his physique and jetset lifestyle
Born successful Russia, Durov spent galore of his puerility years successful Italy earlier returning to his homeland erstwhile his father, a clever clever successful ancient Roman literature, landed a occupation astatine St Petersburg University.
He and his relative mastered machine codification and programming from an early age, and a very different-looking Durov group up VK, dubbed nan 'Facebook of Russia', erstwhile he near assemblage astatine 21.
The tech tycoon founded Telegram successful 2013, saying nan absence of immoderate unafraid shape of connection successful Russia gave emergence to nan idea.
Together pinch his 'genius' relative Nikolai, who Durov said did nan coding for a nan platform, he launched what would go 1 of nan world's astir celebrated messaging applications.
It has garnered much than 950 cardinal users complete nan past decade, making it 1 of nan world's biggest societal media platforms aft Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
The tech tycoon founded Telegram successful 2013, saying nan absence of immoderate unafraid shape of connection successful Russia gave emergence to nan idea
Despite nan site's sheer scale, Durov has proudly stated that he retains complete control, arsenic Telegram's 'sole owner, head and merchandise manager'.
His tight grip connected nan app's operations moreover sees him activity straight pinch engineers, he told Carlson, adding that his unconventional attack to moving his business besides intends that its HR section is 'zero'.
Durov has dual French and Emirati citizenship and had been surviving successful Dubai aft he abandoned attempts to settee successful Berlin, London and San Francisco because of nan 'bureaucratic hurdles' which he said had been put successful his way.
Durov precocious claimed successful a Telegram station to beryllium nan begetter to much than 100 children worldwide aft becoming a sperm donor.
In a station connected nan app, he claimed it was his 'civic duty' fixed his 'high value philanthropist material'.
Mr Durov besides precocious claimed to person fathered much than 100 children arsenic a sperm donor. In a Telegram post, he wrote: 'I was conscionable told that I person complete 100 biologic kids'
According to Russian news tract E1. RU, Durov's sperm tin still beryllium purchased from a session successful Moscow, for 35,000 rubles (£303).
He is known to person had a girl and boy pinch ex-partner Daria Bondarenko, who is now based successful Barcelona.
And precocious Irina Bolgar, 44, a Russian female based successful Switzerland, claimed he fathered her girl and 2 sons calved successful 2013, 2016 and 2017, insisting they were 'conceived and calved naturally.'
A image appears to show Durov pinch Bolgar and 3 children celebrating 1 of their birthdays.
Following Bolgar's claims, Durov revealed successful a station connected Telegram past period that he was a prolific sperm-donor.
He did not remark connected Bolgar's declare specifically, but said: 'I was conscionable told that I person complete 100 biologic kids.
'How is this imaginable for a feline who has ne'er been joined and prefers to unrecorded alone?'
He claimed that 15 years agone a friend approached him pinch a 'weird request'.
'He and his woman couldn't person kids owed to a fertility rumor and asked maine to donate sperm astatine a session for them to person a baby.
'I laughed my ass disconnected earlier realising he was dormant serious.'
He said: 'The leader of nan session told maine that 'high value philanthropist material' was successful short proviso and that it was my civic work to donate much sperm to anonymously thief much couples.
'This sounded crazy capable to get maine to motion up for sperm donation.
'Fast guardant to 2024, my past donating activity has helped complete a 100 couples successful 12 countries to person kids.
Recently Irina Bolgar, 44, a Russian female based successful Switzerland, claimed he fathered her girl and 2 sons
'Moreover, galore years aft I stopped being a donor, astatine slightest 1 IVF clinic….still has my stiff sperm disposable for anonymous usage by families who want to person kids.'
It is unclear if his children mightiness declare later to beryllium heirs to his wealth.
But, he said: 'Now I scheme to open-source my DNA truthful that my biologic children tin find each different much easily.
'Of course, location are risks, but I don't regret having been a donor.
'The shortage of patient sperm has go an progressively superior rumor worldwide, and I'm proud that I did my portion to thief alleviate it.
'I besides want to thief destigmatize nan full conception of sperm aid and incentivise much patient men to do it, truthful that families struggling to person kids tin bask much options. Defy normal — redefine nan norm.'
