The editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Sergei Sokolov, has had his home searched. He is being taken to the Investigative Committee.

A search was conducted at the home of Sergei Sokolov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta. Afterwards, he was taken to the Investigative Committee. The publication itself reported this.

Contact with Sokolov was lost at around 12:00 Moscow time, right before an editorial meeting, and his phones have been switched off. Novaya Gazeta is aware that the search has already been completed, and a lawyer is on their way to the editor-in-chief.

According to reports from Baza, the investigative actions are being carried out as part of the criminal case against Novaya Gazeta journalist Oleg Roldugin. The investigators believe that Roldugin may have acted together with Sokolov or under his instruction.

Roldugin was detained in April after a 13-hour search at Novaya Gazeta’s Moscow newsroom. He was charged with the unlawful use and storage of information containing personal data by a group of persons (clause “v,” part 3, article 272.1 of the Criminal Code). He was initially sent to a remand centre, and later placed under house arrest.

Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code was introduced at the end of 2024. One of the authors of the law, MP Alexander Khinshtein, claimed that journalists do not fall within the scope of the new provision.

‘A journalist acts on the basis of the Mass Media Law and may use a variety of means to obtain and verify information,’ Khinshtein said, responding to a question on whether a journalist could be prosecuted for obtaining data via a bot.

16:55 Sergei Sokolov has returned from the Investigative Committee to the newsroom. He is being treated as a witness in the case against journalist Oleg Roldugin, reported Novaya Gazeta. The editor-in-chief cannot disclose the details of the questioning or the investigative actions because they have signed a non-disclosure agreement.

The publication added that the investigation into Roldugin’s case is coming to an end and that in the near future, final charges are expected to be filed against him.

This news update incorporates the information about Sokolov’s return from the Investigative Committee.