Group-IB Co-Founder Sentenced to 14 Years in Russian Penal Colony

Ilya Sachkov, co-founder and former CEO of Group-IB, a computer software company and cybersecurity firm that specializes in detection and prevention of cyberattacks, was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be served in a strict-regime penal colony under Article 275 of Russia's Criminal Code.

Sachkov was accused of personally dealing classified information to foreign intelligence — none of these charges were related to Group-IB — though few details regarding his trial have been made public due to the classified nature of Russian treason cases. 

Sachkov has been in custody since 2021, and Russian prosecutors originally argued for his sentence to be 18 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. 

Group-IB remains adamant in its stance that Sachkov is innocent and that he is wrongfully imprisoned. On its website, the company states that the trial was "unreasonably rushed" and was held "entirely behind closed doors." It also states that he was denied the right to communicate with anyone in the outside world for the first few months of his detainment, and he was not allowed any visitation privileges. 

"On April 20, 2023, Group-IB exited the Russian market. Nonetheless, Ilya will always be an integral and inseparable part of the Group-IB family. The entire Group-IB team is dismayed and disheartened by this brutal and unfair punishment. Cutting Ilya off from the outside world only serves to undermine the strength and stability of the global cybersecurity ecosystem," Group-IB stated. "We will continue to protect our customers, research and investigate cybercrime without fear. We will keep collaborating with law enforcement, sharing data with the cybersecurity community, and working towards disrupting the world's most advanced threat actors."