Russian Prosecutor Asks for 18 Years in Jail for Group-IB Founder

The Russian state prosecution asked the Moscow City Court to impose 18 years in a strict colony regime on Ilya Sachkov, the founder of cybersecurity and threat intelligence provider Group-IB, his lawyer Sergei Afanasyev told Russian press agency Interfax on July 21, 2023. This has been confirmed by the French press agency AFP.

Sachkov was arrested on September 29, 2021, after criticizing the Russian government’s response to ransomware attacks emanating from the country. He is accused of state treason.

He had since resigned from his role at Russia-based Group-IB and sold his stake in the international branch of the group, called Group-IB Global Private Ltd and headquartered in Singapore. He still has a stake in the Russian legal entity, which will continue operating under a new brand, F.A.C.C.T. (Fight Against Cybercrime Technologies).

However, as Afanasyev stated, the claims against him are not related to the activities of Group-IB. Interfax reported that the businessman is accused of transferring information containing state secrets abroad. Sachkov maintains his innocence.

Afanasyev told Interfax that the case was considered at a “sprint pace” – in just 10 working days.

Sachkov’s trial is being held in Moscow City Court in closed mode, as the criminal case materials are classified. His sentence will be announced on July 26 at 13:00.