The founder of Readovka, one of Russia’s biggest pro-war Telegram channels, is jailed on charges of stealing $13 million meant for military drones
A Moscow court has ordered the pretrial detention of Alexey Kostylev, founder of the pro-war news outlet Readovka. According to reports from the hearing, Kostylev is suspected of large-scale fraud involving a Defense Ministry contract for the supply of military drones. Investigators allege that he embezzled one billion rubles (nearly $13 million). RBC’s sources said Kostylev was detained on Wednesday, February 25, in connection with a criminal investigation launched against unnamed suspects last September. He has been remanded in custody until April 25.
A well-known figure in Russia’s state-aligned media, Kostylev is currently the editor-in-chief of the Telegram channel Russkaya Zhizn (“Russian Life”). Following his arrest, the outlet released a statement urging the court not to remand Kostylev in custody, citing medical reasons. Russkaya Zhizn said Kostylev requires intensive medical care due to health problems stemming from a 2024 ATV accident, noting that he had brain surgery, has limited mobility, and cannot perform basic hygiene tasks without assistance.
Readovka also issued a statement publicly distancing itself from the allegations against its founder. The outlet said that it was cooperating with law enforcement, claiming that the criminal case against Kostylev was unrelated to its media business. The statement also thanked Kostylev for “many years of joint work” and his contribution to the “patriotic agenda in the Russian media space.”
Originally branded as a “liberal” Smolensk news blog, Readovka’s editorial policy took an ultra-patriotic turn following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As Meduza and its investigative partner The Bell reported, the outlet began receiving coverage guidelines directly from ANO Dialog, a pro-Kremlin organization founded by Moscow authorities. Readovka’s Telegram audience eventually topped two million subscribers. While he was Readovka’s editor-in-chief, Kostylev reportedly also made an unsuccessful bid to supply the Russian Defense Ministry with winter uniforms sourced from China.
Readovka was sold in 2025 and passed to an ANO Dialog associate. According to the investigative outlet Agentstvo, Readovka was acquired by Andrey Tkachenko, the former head of an ANO Dialog subsidiary. Tkachenko confirmed the “commercial” deal but declined to say more. Several anonymous Telegram channels tied the ownership change to a law enforcement probe into the theft of state funds.