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Russia detains cyber-security tycoon on treason charges
The head of one of Russia’s top cyber-security firms has been detained on suspicion of state treason
A court in Moscow said it had ordered that 35-year-old Ilya Sachkov be held in custody for two months, but did not provide further details on the charges.
An anonymous security source told a state news agency that Mr Sachkov had denied passing on confidential information to foreign intelligence services.
Group-IB, the company which he founded, has worked alongside prominent banks, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Interpol, to protect them from cyber-security attacks.
The company said in a statement their offices in Moscow and St Petersburg had been searched by authorities, but that it was not clear why.
Mr Sachkov has previously been awarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin for his work in identifying and preventing threats to national computer systems.
He is the latest in a series of prominent Russians, including scientists, cyber-security officials, and a former journalist, to be arrested in the country on treason charges in recent years.