Pavel Durov – who is said to already have around 100 IVF children – is offering women the opportunity to undergo IVF for free if they agree to use his sperm for their pregnancies
Telegram founder Pavel Durov drives car in Kazakhstan
Billionaire Telegram tycoon Pavel Durov is giving away his sperm for free to women who want to have his children by IVF.
The 40-year-old social media entrepreneur – dubbed the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk of Russia – is providing his biomaterial material for free. Durov – worth £13.6 billion and currently under criminal investigation in France and forbidden from leaving the country – earlier said he had already fathered more than 100 biological children as a sperm donor.
Now AltraVita IVF clinic in Moscow has told its IVF patients: “You can undergo the procedure of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) absolutely free of charge, using donor sperm from Pavel Durov, one of the most famous and successful entrepreneurs of our time”.
The company’s CEO Sergei Yakovenko said Durov had been a long time sperm donor, for as long as 14 years. Durov, whose Telegram empire is worth £23.5 billion, is covering the costs for the “limited number” of women who opt to use his sperm, meaning it is free for patients, explained the clinic.
Journalist Nikita Mogutin, who revealed the clinic was advertising Durov’s offer, said: “It’s scary to imagine the volumes of material he donated. It was in the summer that he revealed he was the biological father of around 100 IVF children – he made his new offer around the time he turned 40 last month.”
AltraVita announced: This is a generous contribution to society from a person who strives to help those who dream of becoming parents. Pavel Durov compensates our clinic for all expenses related to IVF programs where his sperm is used.” Would-be mothers are told: “A doctor will tell you in detail about the IVF process and conduct an initial examination, as well as [prescribing] additional tests.
“To ensure the success of the procedure, you will need to undergo a comprehensive medical examination and receive a conclusion from our reproductive specialist that you are suitable for participation in the promotion due to your health condition.
“After preparation, you can begin the IVF procedure using donor sperm from Pavel Durov. Our team will support you at every stage, providing the necessary assistance and comfort. The offer is open to women not older than 37 whose health is “satisfactory”. The cost of IVF treatment for those not using Durov’s “free” offer is between £885 and £1,440.
Durov was detained in Paris in August on the steps of his Embraer Legacy 600 private jet after flying in from Azerbaijan. An investigation is underway into whether he allowed criminal activity on Telegram. At the time of his arrest, he had flown to Paris with girlfriend Yulia – or Yuli – Vavilova, 24, who works as a gamer and crypto coach.
Earlier this year, a Swiss-based Russian woman Irina Bolgar, 44, claimed that Durov was the father of her three children. A claim which the billionaire has not denied. Durov has lived outside Russia since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas area of Ukraine in 2014. He had refused “unlawful” demands to hand over personal data from “Russian Facebook” VK – which he invented – of pro-Ukrainian protesters. He was effectively ousted from this major social media platform which came under the control of pro-Putin elements.
Lately Durov, who holds passports from France, St Kitts and Nevis, the UAE, and Russia, has been based in the United Arab Emirates. However, it was recently revealed that he had made dozens of secret trips back to Russia. A comment on the news suggested interested women should “check what he looked like before his plastic surgery”. Another said: “This is the solution to Russia’s demographic crisis.”
