Russian IT firm iSpring has worked with IBM and the U.S. Department of Defense. Now its pro-war founder has been arrested — and Z-bloggers are rallying behind him.
On Monday, Russian police raided iSpring, a software company that lists major Russian corporations and international firms like Sony, Samsung, and IBM among its clients, and arrested its founder, Yury Uskov, reportedly as part of a fraud investigation. Uskov claims the case is retaliation for his activism against a real estate project in a local park. But despite iSpring’s alleged ties to “unfriendly” Western companies, it’s Russian politicians and pro-war bloggers who are rallying to his defense. The reason? Uskov is a vocal supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Here’s what we know so far about the case.
On February 10, 2025, Russian law enforcement searched the office of iSpring, a software company based in the city of Yoshkar-Ola. The company confirmed the raids in a statement on its official Telegram channel. Founder Yury Uskov later revealed that officers had also searched his home. “There’s a chance they’ll lock me up,” he said.
According to a Forbes Russia source at iSpring, Uskov was questioned and is being held for 48 hours. The source said the searches were linked to a large-scale fraud case, though officials have yet to confirm this.
Uskov suggested the investigation stemmed from alleged violations in the purchase of land for a planned corporate housing project, an issue reportedly flagged by law enforcement. As part of the same case, authorities also arrested Alexander Plotnikov, head of the Orshansky district administration in the Mari El Republic, and his first deputy, Kommersant reported.
Founded in 2001 as CPS Labs, iSpring specializes in corporate e-learning software. Its two flagship products are iSpring Learn, a training platform, and iSpring Suite, an online course builder integrated with Microsoft PowerPoint. Both are listed in Russia’s domestic software registry.
The client list published on the company website includes major Russian corporations such as Sberbank, Lukoil, and MTS, as well as international firms like Sony, Samsung, and IBM. In 2016, Forbes Russia reported that iSpring had also worked with the U.S. Department of Defense. In a December 2024 interview with the publication, Uskov claimed iSpring was Russia’s leading provider of corporate training software and ranked among the world’s top ten in the sector. He also noted that 70 percent of the company’s revenue came from international clients.
In 2013, iSpring purchased a plot of land in the Orshansky district through an open auction, intending to build a residential community. By 2019, the company had constructed seven houses for programmers and a multi-story building on the site, RBC reported. Investigators now claim the land was acquired at an artificially low price, estimating the financial damage to the state at around 20.5 million rubles (approximately $218,000).
Yury Uskov’s brother, Vladimir Uskov, confirmed these allegations in a comment to RIA Novosti but insisted the transaction was legal and that iSpring had actually paid above market value. He also pointed to a 2024 prosecutor’s review of the deal, which he said found no violations.
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Uskov, for his part, claimed the searches and his arrest are politically motivated. He argued that the case is retaliation for his activism against a planned residential development near a wooded area in Yoshkar-Ola.
“The residents contacted the Construction Ministry and received confirmation that residential development in a recreational zone was illegal. Information about the violations was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office,” Business Online quoted iSpring’s press service as saying. The company also pointed out that criminal proceedings were launched on the same day a court was scheduled to hear arguments about the proposed construction.
Uskov’s arrest has sparked outrage among his business partners and acquaintances. “Yury is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. He has done more than most to improve education in this country. His arrest is yet another example of lawlessness and injustice,” former Skyeng managing partner Alexander Laryanovskiy wrote on Facebook. “This is not normal — though it has become routine in today’s Russia.”
The case has also drawn the attention of Russian politicians. Vladislav Davankov, deputy speaker of the State Duma and a former New People party presidential candidate, said he had asked Federal Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin to take personal control of the investigation.
“In a region where some homes are still heated with firewood, he built iSpring from the ground up — one of Russia’s leading IT companies,” Davankov wrote on Telegram. “In Yoshkar-Ola, few people believe that Yury could have stolen anything. Here, he’s seen as a patriot who invests in his hometown rather than trying to exploit it.”
On February 11, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin ordered Vasily Piskaryov, chairman of the parliamentary committee on safety and anti-corruption, to look into the circumstances of Uskov’s arrest, RBC reported. The request came from Alexey Nechayev, leader of the New People party.
Update: On February 12, Russian journalist Roman Yuneman reported that Yury Uskov had been released under pre-trial restrictions prohibiting him from communicating with anybody except for the authorities and emergency services.
Some pro-war Z-bloggers, including Yegor Kholmogorov, have also voiced support for Uskov — likely due to his backing of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Davankov confirmed that Uskov has been an active supporter of the war effort.
“Yury truly cares about this country,” the deputy speaker said. “When the ‘special military operation’ began, he didn’t try to shield his son from the draft — his son is fighting on the front lines, has been wounded, and Yury spends millions [of rubles] every month to support the troops.”