Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he wanted to help alleviate a worldwide shortage of healthy sperm, while a Moscow clinic advertised free IVF using his donations. AltraVita's currently published terms include women aged 37 and under, with the clinic attributing treatment funding to him.
'The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I'm proud that I did my part to help alleviate it,' Durov wrote about the topic in July 2024. He claimed his donations had helped more than 100 couples across 12 countries have children and encouraged other healthy men to donate.
Moscow IVF Programme Had Narrower Eligibility
The specific Moscow programme was separate from that international donation history, with a clinic spokesman confirming in November 2024 that it was restricted to Russian women. AltraVita promoted the arrangement on its website and invited prospective applicants to contact the clinic about treatment using Durov's sperm.
The spokesman estimated the usual treatment cost at $5,000, (approximately £3,714), but declined further details, citing medical confidentiality. Coverage published by Business Insider on 12 November 2024 established that the clinic had advertised the programme since at least summer that year.
AltraVita's current programme page specifies 'no more than 37 years' and satisfactory health following medical assessment, without listing nationality as a condition. A December 2025 investigation by CNN described applicants as 'under 37,' a different threshold that does not itself establish that the clinic changed its policy.
The website describes consultation, tests, and further medical examinations before a reproductive medicine specialist assesses eligibility, and warns that places are limited. It advertises funded IVF protocols without itemising coverage for preliminary assessments, medication, repeat attempts, travel, or accommodation, leaving the full extent of the funding unclear.
Former Doctor Described Applicant Screening
A former AltraVita doctor said applicants had to be unmarried to avoid legal complications, a condition absent from the clinic's published programme requirements. He also said Durov did not participate in selecting or medically assessing applicants, who underwent the same examinations as other IVF patients.
The doctor said he had examined several women interested in the programme, but the investigation did not establish how many completed treatment or became pregnant. His account describes the selection process he observed, rather than independently confirming the clinic's current policy or the number of successful treatments.
Durov's Representative Disputes Funding Claim
Spokeswoman Devon Spurgeon said Durov 'does not have any financial, managerial, or operational involvement with the clinic, nor does he follow its activities in any systematic way.' She described his contact with its director as personal text exchanges once or twice a year.
Her statement conflicts with AltraVita's description of his financial involvement, although it did not explain how the advertised treatment costs were covered. The funding claim rests on the clinic's promotional statements and earlier confirmation, not independently documented payments for individual treatment cycles.
Donations Began With a Friend's Request
Durov said he began donating approximately 15 years before his July 2024 statement after a friend sought help because he and his wife could not conceive. He said frozen sperm remained available after he stopped donating and announced plans to share his DNA so his biological children could connect.
In June 2025, he separately outlined intentions to treat donor-conceived children equally with his six other children in his estate, with access to his fortune delayed for 30 years from that announcement. AltraVita continues to display its IVF programme online, but current acceptance of applicants and remaining treatment places have not been independently confirmed.
