Business reporter, BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The founder of instant messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, says the more than 100 children he has fathered will share his estimated $13.9bn (\u00a310.3bn) fortune.<\/p>\n “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,” Mr Durov told French political magazine Le Point<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr Durov says he is the “official father” of six children with three different partners, but has more than 100 other children after donating sperm to a fertility clinic.<\/p>\n He also reiterated that he denies any wrongdoing in connection with serious criminal charges<\/a> he faces in France.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The self-exiled Russian technology tycoon also told the magazine that his children would not have access to their inheritance for 30 years.<\/p>\n “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 said.<\/p>\n The 40-year-old said he had written a will now because his job “involves risks \u2013 defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states”.<\/p>\n His app, Telegram, known for its focus on privacy and encrypted messaging, has more than a billion monthly active users.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Durov also addressed criminal charges he faces in France, where he was arrested last year after being accused of failing to properly moderate the app to reduce criminality. <\/p>\n He has denied failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation.<\/p>\n In the Le Point interview he described the charges as “totally absurd”.<\/p>\n “Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Get our flagship newsletter with all the headlines you need to start the day. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Pavel](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7ce8\/live\/2788e570-4d79-11f0-8a57-152866aa2637.jpg.webp\")
Pavel Durov\/Instagram<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250616-143050-043f96f72f-web-2.23.1-5\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Pavel](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/60dd\/live\/2bcf07b0-4d86-11f0-962b-5d5c698f3d78.jpg.webp\")
Pavel Durov\/Instagram<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8637\/live\/88915f60-4da0-11f0-a466-d54f65b60deb.png.webp\")
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