Putin charges billionaire ‘supersperm’ donor with aiding terrorism – as ‘Russian Elon Musk’ gives tyrant the finger

TELEGRAM boss Pavel Durov faces life behind bars after Russia slapped the billionaire with a terrorism charge – before his app hit back with a savage middle-finger picture. The 41-year-old tycoon has been placed on an international wanted list as Vladimir Putin’s regime turns the screws on his hugely popular messaging platform. Pavel Durov faces life behind bars after Putin slapped him with a terrorism charge Credit: AP His app hit back with a savage middle-finger picture Credit: East2West Russian security services accuse Telegram of allowing channels and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorists and extremist groups to plot “acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyberfraud” inside Russia. Moscow claims the alleged failures have already resulted in “numerous human casualties”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But Telegram appeared to deliver a brutal two-fingered response after the warrant was issued, sharing a picture of Durov giving the middle finger. The extraordinary clash comes as Russia wages a relentless crackdown on the encrypted app, which has become a vital communications tool on both sides of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian security services have also been accused of using a popular dating chatbot on Telegram to lure Russians into “sabotage and terrorist activities”. Russian authorities claim 46 users aged between 12 and 22 have been detained across the country since July 2025 in connection with the alleged activity. Durov has long been a thorn in the Kremlin’s side after refusing to bend to demands for access to users’ data. The Russian-born billionaire founded VKontakte – a Facebook-inspired social network – with his brother Nikolai in 2006. Most read in The Sun The platform quickly became Russia’s biggest social network before Durov spectacularly fell out with authorities over demands to censor content and hand over information. During the anti-Putin protests of 2011 and 2012, Russian authorities demanded personal data belonging to protest organisers and the closure of opposition groups on VK. But Durov refused. Then, in 2014, he was pressured again over his refusal to block a VK group supporting Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests and hand Ukrainian users’ data to the FSB. The extraordinary clash comes as Russia wages a relentless crackdown on the encrypted app Credit: AFP Russian authorities claim 46 users aged between 12 and 22 have been detained across the country Credit: AFP He was forced out of VK and soon fled Russia, declaring the country “incompatible with internet business at the moment.” Durov went on to build Telegram into a global messaging giant, with more than a billion monthly active users and a fierce reputation for privacy. But the billionaire’s turbulent relationship with authorities followed him west. He was arrested in Paris in 2024 after arriving from Azerbaijan with his girlfriend Yulia Vavilova, then 24, amid a French investigation into Telegram. French authorities alleged the app’s lack of moderation, limited cooperation with law enforcement and features including disposable numbers and cryptocurrency made it an accomplice to drug trafficking, paedophilia and fraud. Durov blasted the investigation as “completely absurd”. He said: “Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals.” He added: “Telegram staff can’t see or read user messages. “That’s why we’ve never revealed a single private message.” Durov has also insisted that Telegram only reviews limited metadata, such as an IP address or phone number, when a court flags a user ID in a criminal case. Now Russia has dramatically escalated the war against him by putting the billionaire on its wanted list and threatening him with life imprisonment if convicted. The Kremlin has already restricted Telegram access and slapped the company with around $1.26billion in fines since January over allegedly banned content. He was arrested in Paris in 2024 after arriving from Azerbaijan with his girlfriend Yulia Vavilova Durov has also insisted that Telegram only reviews limited metadata, such as an IP address or phone number Credit: AFP Putin’s regime has also launched a sweeping internet clampdown, blocking or restricting major platforms and tightening its grip on online communications. Facebook, Instagram and X have been banned, while Signal and Viber have been blocked and WhatsApp restricted. Putin has even warned of the battlefield danger posed by communications systems beyond the Kremlin’s control. “Do you agree with the opinion that the use of those communication systems which are not ours, are not under our control pose a danger to personnel?” he said at a meeting with Russian military women in Moscow in March. Signal operator Irina Godunova bluntly described Telegram as an “enemy means of communication.” Durov, meanwhile, has repeatedly claimed Russian authorities are fabricating excuses to restrict Telegram in a bid to “suppress the right to privacy and free speech.” The explosive Russian case comes after Durov revealed another astonishing threat hanging over his fortune. The billionaire has drawn up a new will splitting his £17billion fortune equally between his alleged 106 children. Durov says the children – whether conceived naturally or through sperm donation – will not get their hands on his fortune for 30 years. He told Le Point magazine: “I want them to live like normal people, to build their lives on their own, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create – not to be dependent on a bank account.” Durov said he feels threatened after refusing to share user data with secret services in Russia and Western countries. He said: “My work involves risks – defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states. “I want to protect my children, but also the company I created, Telegram. “I want Telegram to always remain true to the values I stand for.” He claims he has six children for whom he is the “official father”, while more than 100 others were allegedly conceived through anonymous sperm donations. Durov said: “I decided that my children will not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has passed, starting from today… “I want to make it clear that I make no distinction between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally, and those born from my sperm donations. “They are all my children and they will all have the same rights. “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.” The tycoon also revealed: “I have a newborn son – I’m missing his first months. “He doesn’t even have a passport because I wasn’t at his birth in Dubai.” And Durov has continued to make headlines with his blistering attacks on France. After a brazen daylight raid saw priceless jewels ripped from the Louvre, the Telegram founder offered to buy the stolen treasures and return them to the Louvre – in Abu Dhabi. The extraordinary offer came as France was rocked by the audacious heist, which saw raiders escape with priceless pieces in a lightning-fast seven-minute raid. Durov claimed the haul would be safer in the UAE than France and declared: “This is another sad sign of the decline of a once-great country, where the government has perfected the art of distracting people with imaginary threats instead of facing real ones.” He then posted on X: “Happy to buy the stolen jewelry and donate it back to the Louvre. “I mean Louvre Abu Dhabi, of course; no one steals from Louvre Abu Dhabi.” Comment now