Group-IB, a global cybersecurity leader headquartered in Singapore, has today learned that Group-IB’s co-founder, Ilya Sachkov, has been convicted of treason and sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Moscow court following an unreasonably rushed trial that was held entirely behind closed doors. Ilya pleaded not guilty.
Ilya spent almost two years in pre-trial detention, awaiting a trial that only started on July 6th, 2023. During his detainment, he was denied the right to communicate — no calls, no letters — with the outside world for the first few months, he was deprived of any visits from family and friends. Ultimately, Ilya has been denied a chance for an impartial trial. All the materials of the case are kept classified, and all hearings were held in complete secrecy with no public scrutiny. As a result, we might never know the pretext for his conviction.
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. As the world finds itself enveloped in intense cyber warfare, as cybercrime in all its forms evolves and becomes more organized and efficient, an individual who has consistently and convincingly advocated for responsible behavior in the digital space and one who has devoted his entire life to fighting against digital crime is being sent to jail for 14 years.
Since day one, we have had full confidence in Ilya’s innocence. We are unwaveringly convinced that Ilya’s ideas and approach to cybersecurity have many followers worldwide, and they unite people and organizations across the globe. While he remains wrongfully imprisoned, we will continue to stand up against injustice and operate our business with the same mission in mind – to fight against cybercrime. This very mission was crafted by Ilya and has been at the heart of the company since it was founded in 2003.
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.
We will continue to stand for what is right and just.
#FightAgainstCybercrime
Group-IB team
