Cybersecurity executive Ilya Sachkov formally charged with treason

Investigators have indicted Group-IB founder Ilya Sachkov for treason, sources in law enforcement told RIA Novosti and TASS on Thursday, October 7. This was also reported by Interfax, citing familiar sources. 

According to these news agencies, Sachkov stands accused of the “disclosure of information that contains state secrets.” The case materials have been classified and further details aren’t being disclosed. 

On Wednesday, October 6, Forbes published an open letter by Sachkov’s mother, in which she appeals directly to Vladimir Putin to free her son. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday that Lyudmila Sachkova’s letter hasn’t been seen in the Kremlin.

“I understand the mother’s emotional state. There are very, very serious accusations against her son. But at the same time, only a court can find a person guilty, so one must wait until the end of the investigative actions and the court proceedings in this regard,” Peskov said.

On September 29, officials raided Group-IB’s Moscow office and arrested Ilya Sachkov on treason charges. That same day, a local court jailed him for two months, pending trial. Sachkov maintains his innocence, as does Group-IB.