The hidden life of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram accused of mistreating his son

Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos. These are all names that the public knows by heart and they are the ones behind the most important and revolutionary companies in the field of technology and social networks. But we talk very little about Pavel Durov the founder of Telegram .

Durov the 39-year-old Russian businessman would have chosen to have a “polished” image and to remain, most of the time, behind the scenes, while enjoying a luxurious lifestyle thanks to the profits generated by the Telegram messaging application.

However, last August, His name made headlines after he was arrested in Paris, France, on charges of allowing the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud on Telegram.

But, in addition to this trial which left him rooted in France after having paid a bail of 5 million dollars, Irina Bolgar, his ex-partner, revealed that she had also sued him for abusing one of her children.

That’s what the prosecution says.

Pável Dúrov is a Russian businessman who, together with his brother Nikolai Durov, developed the social network and messaging application Telegram. which quickly entered into competition with other platforms like Facebook.

According to Forbes in a 2020 article, Durov was among the 10 richest people in Russia, with wealth close to $12.7 billion.

On August 24, 2024, Durov was arrested when his private plane landed in Paris: the man had an arrest warrant from the French police for an investigation into serious crimes allegedly provoked on Telegram due to the lack of security.

Concretely, it was criticized for not having put in place any measures to punish users of its application who had committed serious crimes, such as the distribution of pornography to minors and drug trafficking.

Irina Bolgar is a lawyer and former partner of Pavel Durov. He was born in St. Petersburg, like the Telegram mogul, and they were reportedly romantically involved for almost 10 years. They have 3 children together.

According to Bolgar, she and Durov lived in luxury, spending nearly $1 million a month at a resort in Sardinia, Italy, where they spent much of their time. When they weren’t there, they stayed in a luxury beachside apartment in Dubai and traveled on private planes.

The success of Telegram had allowed them to have such a life.

And although at first they were happy, Bolgar claimed in a lawsuit he filed last year that “Durov went from being a principled businessman he admired to becoming an increasingly arrogant, controlling and abusive adversary.” .

So much so that The tycoon is said to have injured his youngest son several times.

As compiled The New York Times , The lawsuit filed by Irina Bolgar in Switzerland says Pavel Durov abused his youngest son five times between 2021 and 2022.

The document describes that on one occasion, the founder of Telegram He hit his son in the back and threw him across the room. In another, he shook him with such intensity that his shoes came off. He also grabbed the child by the leg and warned him that he was going to kill him.

Given this, Durov’s spokesperson assured in a statement that these incidents “never happened.”

And while Bolgar did not provide further details about the lawsuit because it is under investigation, He revealed some details of their relationship that could further complicate the legal problems Durov faces in Europe.

In other words, in addition to a possible conviction in France, he is also the subject of accusations in Switzerland for abuse of his son and for non-payment of alimony.

In this sense, the reputation that the Russian has tried to maintain online, as well as his constant speech about freedom of expression and the defense of privacy, could be greatly affected.

This is how his ex-partner also accepted: “Durov’s carefully crafted image as a defender of freedom collapses when we are confronted with his personal life.”

“This reveals a stark contrast between his public declarations of freedom and his private actions. »

She herself would have fallen into the image that the tycoon was selling during their meeting: It was the summer of 2012 when they first met. The woman said he was “charming” and that she was impressed by his libertarian views.

Thus, love blossomed between them and they went to live together. A year later, they saw the birth of their first child, but also the Telegram application which took off in 2013.

However, throughout their relationship, Bolgar realized that Durov was not sincere: in 2014 it became known that the tycoon had a separated family, and he categorically denied it. But then a mistake by his personal driver revealed that Durov had bought New Year’s gifts for another family.

Yet they stayed together. But Bolgar realized that his partner was beginning to change.

First of all, She begins to become obsessed with her physique and asks modeling agencies to take photos of her for their social networks, in order to “come and see how rich people live”. Forbes “.

Already in 2021, The man allegedly became “psychologically violent” towards her and her children.

“Either you do everything my way and then have the moral right to complain, or you do everything your way and don’t complain. » Durov would have told him in 2021.

It was in April of the same year that he hit his 3-year-old son. A few months later, she shook him violently and, according to the complaint, The minor suffered a concussion and “for several months, he wet his bed and had nightmares.”

The last time they saw each other was in 2022. She warned him that if he didn’t change his behavior, she would report him to the police. In response, he told her he would stop giving her financial aid, which he did.

After the complaint, Durov’s spokesperson said thathe and Bolgar “had never been a couple” and that she only asked for millions of dollars in child support, but spent the money on luxury items.

Bolgar categorically denied misusing the money.

So far, Swiss prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges against Durov. The Geneva child protection court said the tycoon could not have personal contact with his children.