Slapped, lifted and shook: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under investigation for 'serious acts of violence' against son

Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, has been arrested in France on charges related to failing to curb illegal content on the app but those are not the only charges he is currently facing.

Durov is also under investigation for "serious acts of violence" against one of his children, as per an AFP report.

The investigation, recently initiated by the French child welfare office, focuses on Durov's son, born in 2017, who currently resides in Switzerland with his mother.


The alleged incidents of violence reportedly occurred in Paris, according to the AFP report which cites a source close to the case. The boy's mother had previously filed a legal complaint in Switzerland last year, accusing Durov of violent acts against their son.

She disclosed to AFP that she shares three children with the Telegram chief—two boys and a girl.

'Child slapped, lifted shook'

The Swiss complaint, filed in the canton of Geneva, alleges that Durov, 39, committed violent acts against their youngest son on five occasions between 2021 and 2022, both in Switzerland and elsewhere. The incidents have allegedly resulted in the child suffering from anxiety, bed-wetting, and regular sleep disturbances, according to court documents seen by AFP.

One specific allegation in the complaint details an incident in Paris in November 2021, where Durov allegedly slapped the child on the back, lifted him off the ground, and shook him forcefully.

As per the report, while the criminal complaint in Switzerland does not name Durov, the mother, or the children, it includes details that reference the children’s birth years, Durov’s previous residence in the United Arab Emirates, and information linked to a separate civil case.

Also Read: Questioning of Telegram's Durov ends, heads to French investigative judge

The mother clarified that her youngest son had never attended school in France, contradicting earlier reports. She told AFP that the child had only visited Paris as a tourist.

'Fathered over 100 children'

According to the Russian edition of Forbes, Durov, also referred to as the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia, has five children from two women, including three from his relationship with the mother in question.

Also Read: How Telegram's Pavel Durov went from Russia's Mark Zuckerberg to wanted man

He has also reportedly participated in a sperm donation program, and boasts to have fathered over 100 children.

(With AFP inputs)