Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed he survived a suspected poisoning in 2018, describing near-death symptoms that an investigator linked to nerve-agent exposure.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has claimed he survived a poisoning attempt in 2018, an incident he kept private until now to avoid alarming the public and protect his company’s priorities.
In a recent interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Durov recounted experiencing severe pain after returning home to find a “strange neighbor” leaving something near his door. “That was the only instant in my life when I think I was dying,” he said. “One thing I was certain about is, yeah, this is it.”
He said he woke the next morning on the floor, unable to stand, with burst blood vessels and lingering paralysis that left him unable to walk for two weeks. “This is something I never talked about publicly because I didn’t want people to freak out,” he added.
At the time, Telegram was battling efforts by several governments, including Russia, to ban the app, while seeking funding for its blockchain project. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev noted that Durov’s described symptoms were “consistent with nerve-agent poisoning” and urged him to disclose more details.
Durov, now 40, holds French and UAE citizenship and is currently facing legal proceedings in France over Telegram’s regulation of online content.