Tech Billionaire Survives Poisoning Attack

This was a close call.

The founder of Telegram Pavel Durov has revealed he survived a poisoning attack in 2018

The Russian billionaire revealed in an interview with Lex Fridman that in the Spring of 2018 he was poisoned by a man who left a strange package on his door step.

The Moscow Times reported more on the poisoning attack against Durov:

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has claimed that he survived a poisoning attempt in the spring of 2018, but chose not to reveal the incident until now to focus on business priorities.

In a new interview, Durov said he experienced severe pain all over his body after returning to his rented townhouse and noticing a “strange neighbor” leaving something by his door.

“That was the only instant in my life when I think I was dying,” Durov told podcaster Lex Fridman in the video interview published Monday. “One thing I was certain about is, yeah, this is it.”

The Russian-born entrepreneur said he woke up the next day on the floor, unable to stand, with burst blood vessels and unable to walk for two weeks afterward.

“This is something I never talked about publicly because I didn’t want people to freak out,” Durov said.

At that time, Durov said Telegram was seeking funds for its TON blockchain project and several countries, including Russia, were trying to ban the messenger app. Moscow abandoned its efforts in 2020.

Watch him share his story in the second video below:

🎥A scenario that worth a Hollywood action film — Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov, tells in detail how he was poisoned in 2018
Grab some popcorn 🍿 pic.twitter.com/tHnqGxstSK

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) October 1, 2025

The Kyiv Post covered Durov’s interview with Fridman too:

“One hour after, when I was already in my bed — I was living alone — I felt very bad. I felt pain all over my body,” Durov recalled. “I tried to get up and go to the bathroom, but while I was going there, I felt that the functions of my body started to switch off.”

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The 40-year-old billionaire claimed that he lost his eyesight and his hearing in quick succession and became unable to breathe, experiencing acute pain.

“It’s a difficult thing to explain, but one thing I was certain about was: this is it,” Durov said. “I thought, well, I had a good life, I managed to accomplish a few things. Then I collapsed on the floor.”

Durov said that he regained consciousness the following morning and was unable to work for two weeks.

He claimed that the alleged poisoning occurred in 2018 when Telegram was raising funds for the TON blockchain project, at a time when several governments — including Russia — were trying to ban the messenger app.