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Police have conducted searches at the offices of the pro-government Ural outlet URA.RU in Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals. This was reported by the Telegram channel Mash, the pro-government publication Russia Today, and 66.ru.
The official reasons for the search remain unknown. According to reports from 66.ru, the head of the editorial office, Denis Allayarov, has been detained.
RIA Novosti reports that the searches may be related to the 2020 funding of the NGO “Doctors’ Alliance.”
Meanwhile, according to other reports, law enforcement are reportedly interested in how journalists obtained daily internal police bulletins. In March, a police officer was detained after admitting that he sold these bulletins to the editorial team.
09:15 According to information given to It’s My City by lawyer Georgy Krasnov, journalist Sergey Bodrov has not been detained, but a search is taking place at his home.
09:45 URA.RU’s editorial team has confirmed that investigative activities are underway at their Yekaterinburg office. According to the outlet, searches are also being conducted at the homes of several journalists from the Sverdlovsk branch.
“Investigators are interested in the sources of information about crimes in Sverdlovsk Region,” URA.RU said in a statement.
The publication denies that the searches are related to the funding of the “Doctors’ Alliance.”
“There is no talk of any funding of doctors or any related situations,” the editorial office’s statement reads.
The outlet also confirmed that law enforcement have detained editor Denis Allayarov. His lawyer has not been allowed to see him. Previously, investigators also refused to let his lawyer enter the editorial office itself, saying: “The superior will think about it, the superior will decide, the superior has stepped out.”
10:39 Law enforcement officers used force against URA.RU editor-in-chief Diana Kozlova, the outlet itself reports.
According to the report, Kozlova was restrained by members of the investigative team. Her lawyer has sent her for a medical examination.
Police also detained Sverdlovsk branch correspondent Sergey Bodrov. Editor Denis Allayarov was taken to the Investigative Committee’s Sverdlovsk office, but his lawyer is still being denied access. According to URA.RU, Allayarov was held in a vehicle for an hour.
11:40 Law enforcement also detained journalist Anna Salimskaya, reported E1.RU. Her lawyer was denied access as well.
According to URA.RU, during questioning at the Investigative Committee, investigators twisted Denis Allayarov’s arms and unlocked his phone. He was asked: “Why do agency staff photograph the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Sverdlovsk Region, Alexander Meshkov, and the governor of Sverdlovsk Region, Denis Pasler, on their way to work?”
“This does not align with the legal grounds for searching Allayarov’s flat and conducting investigative actions at URA.RU’s offices,” the editorial team stated.
Due to the searches, the outlet’s website is experiencing outages.
12:13 Journalist Sergey Bodrov was released and sent home after questioning, his lawyer Georgy Krasnov told Mediazona.
According to Krasnov, Bodrov is considered a witness in a case regarding the abuse of office by officials for personal gain (paragraph “e,” part 3, article 286 of the Criminal Code). The reporter has also signed a non-disclosure agreement relating to the investigation.
“During questioning as a witness, he stated that in the course of his journalistic activities, he never broke the law. He gave no further testimony,” said Sergey Bodrov’s lawyer.
13:21 According to the pro-Kremlin channel Mash, all previously detained journalists are considered witnesses in the case and have been released.
According to the channel, the criminal case regarding abuse of office (Article 286 of the Criminal Code), in which journalists are involved, was instigated against “unidentified police officers.”
Meanwhile, a source at the pro-government news agency TASS claims that law enforcement could have come to the journalists because of an investigation into the illegal use of personal data (Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code). The first criminal case under this article was launched in February, when searches took place in connection with the operation of the data lookup service “Eye of God.” After that, the service ceased its operations, notes Agentstvo.
TASS also claims that investigators found “evidence of the purchase of operational police bulletins” by URA.RU staff on their work computers.
Sverdlovsk branch editor Denis Allayarov said that during questioning: “They didn’t acquaint me with the nature of the claims.”
“They said I was allegedly photographing the head of the Sverdlovsk police, Meshkov, and the governor of Sverdlovsk Region. Perhaps they were referring to Denis Pasler, but they didn’t specify a surname. <…> They took me to the Investigative Committee office and said I was a witness. But during the searches, one of the officers implied that I would not be released today or any time soon,” Allayarov said.
His lawyer was still not permitted to see him.
16:27 URA.RU editor Denis Allayarov, who was released after interrogation, was re-arrested and taken again to the Investigative Committee, according to 66.ru and “Kommersant—Urals”, citing their sources.
According to the sources, investigators have opened a criminal case under the article on illegal use, collection, and storage of personal data (Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code).
18:37 A criminal case for bribery (Article 291 of the Criminal Code) has been opened against URA.RU editor Denis Allayarov, as reported by Interfax and “Kommersant”, citing law enforcement sources.
According to a “Kommersant” source, Allayarov is suspected of bribing a police officer who provided him with police bulletins in exchange for money.
6 June, 09:48 Police have detained Andrei Karpov, head of the criminal investigation division of Police Station No. 10 in Yekaterinburg. This was reported by Baza.
According to the outlet, Karpov is suspected of abuse of office (Article 286 of the Criminal Code) and accepting bribes (Article 290 of the Criminal Code) from URA.RU journalists.
15 July On 7 July, investigative measures were also carried out at the home of URA.RU’s IT department head, Denis Mostokalov. This was reported by RBC, citing editor-in-chief Diana Kozlova.
Kozlova notes that during the search, force was used against Mostokalov, despite the fact that he was not resisting. The man was recorded as having sustained injuries.
Mostokalov is a witness in the case against Denis Allayarov.
This article has been updated following new information about Sergey Bodrov’s status.
- According to the independent outlet Proekt, in 2022, the pro-government outlet URA.RU developed a PR strategy for General Alexander Lapin on the orders of the Defence Ministry and published over 35 materials about him. Lapin was criticised by Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin for the surrender of Lyman in Donetsk Region.