Moscow Court Rejects Release Request Of Cybersecurity Company Chief Arrested On Treason Charge

A court in Moscow has rejected a request to release from pretrial detention the chief executive of a leading Russian cybersecurity company who was arrested in September on charges of state treason.

The Moscow City Court on December 16 ruled that a lower court's November 23 decision to extend Ilya Sachkov's pretrial detention until February 28, 2022, was legal and cannot be changed.

Sachkov is the founder of Group-IB, a company known for its work in tracking down hackers and fighting theft and cyberfraud.

He is one of a group of prominent people, including scientists and cybersecurity officials, to be arrested in Russia on treason charges in recent years, while Moscow has faced numerous allegations of cyberattacks on Western countries, which it has denied.

Investigators said Sachkov was suspected of passing classified information to a foreign country. No other details were given by officials.

After their client’s pretrial detention extension was upheld, Sachkov's lawyers read aloud a statement where the accused reiterated his innocence and insisted that the case against him is not connected with Group-IB's activities.

Sachkov was arrested and charged after police searched his company's offices in Moscow on September 28.

Group-IB, founded in 2003, has grown markedly over the past years as cybercrimes have increased globally.

In addition to Moscow, the company has offices in Singapore, London, New York, and Dubai.