Billionaire Pavel Durov reveals he's fathered 100 children globally

The Telegram founder shares his journey as a prolific sperm donor, fulfilling what he calls a "civic duty."

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of VK and Telegram, has revealed he has fathered over 100 children worldwide, describing it as his "civic duty." 

Durov, often branded as Putin's enemy, disclosed this surprising news in a Telegram post, saying, "I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids. How is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone?"

The 39-year-old tech mogul explained that he started donating sperm 15 years ago to help a friend and has since assisted over a hundred couples in 12 countries. 

"The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I'm proud that I did my part to help alleviate it," he said. 

Although he stopped donating years ago, his frozen sperm is still available for use.

Durov, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, plans to open-source his DNA to help his biological children connect. 

He also aims to destigmatize sperm donation and encourage more men to participate. 

Besides his philanthropic efforts, Durov is known for creating VK, the so-called Russian Facebook, and Telegram, one of the fastest-growing messaging platforms.

His dramatic exit from Russia followed his refusal to comply with Moscow's demands during the 2014 Crimea invasion. 

Durov was forced out of Russia after rejecting requests to hand over personal data from VK of pro-Ukrainian protesters. 

Telegram remains highly popular, with up to 49 million users in Russia alone, accounting for 40% of the country's internet users.