Pavel Durov said he was the target of a suspected poisoning attempt in spring 2018. According to the entrepreneur, the episode took place while several countries were trying to restrict Telegram, including Russia. At the same time, he was seeking funding for the launch and development of the TON blockchain platform.
Durov said that at the time he was renting a townhouse and that one of his neighbors seemed “strange” to him. He claimed that, on one occasion, this person left “something” by his door while Durov himself was away from home.
The Telegram founder said that about an hour after returning, he suddenly became seriously ill. He described the episode as intense pain spreading through his entire body.
“I felt pain throughout my body. I tried to get up and go to the bathroom, but while I was walking there, I felt my bodily functions starting to shut down. First my sight and hearing, then it became hard to breathe,” Durov said.
He said the attack was accompanied by extremely sharp pain. He mentioned his heart, stomach and blood vessels among the parts of his body where he felt it most acutely. Durov added that it was hard to explain exactly what was happening, but at that moment he was certain he was dying.
The entrepreneur said he then collapsed to the floor and does not remember the fall itself because the pain had become overwhelming. The next day, he said, he found himself on the floor and felt very weak.