Moscow court sentences Russian hacktivist group leader to two years behind bars

A Moscow court has sentenced Vladimir Anikeev, the former leader of the hacktivist group “Anonymous International,” to two years in prison for unlawfully accessing private information.

Anikeev pled guilty and his trial was classified and held behind closed doors. He reached a deal with prosecutors, providing testimony that allowed federal agents to arrest Sergey Mikhailov, an information security chief in Russia’s Federal Security Service, who’s now charged with treason.

Ankieev’s arrest was first reported in January 2017. Prosecutors say he led “Anonymous International,” which stole and auctioned off private correspondence belonging to state officials and entrepreneurs.

Russian police have also arrested two of Anikeev’s supposed accomplices, Konstantin Teplyakov and Alexander Filinov. Another member of the group, Alexander Glazastikov, fled successfully to Estonia.