Russian cybersecurity entrepreneur Ilya Sachkov, the co-founder of Group-IB, faces an 18-year prison sentence on treason charges as requested by state prosecutors. Group-IB, a prominent cybersecurity firm specializing in detecting and preventing cyberattacks, collaborates with global institutions such as Interpol.
His trial took place behind closed doors, as is typical for treason cases in Russia, and the Moscow court is set to announce the verdict on July 26.
Furthermore, the 37-year-old Sachkov co-founded Group-IB at the age of 17 and gained recognition for his achievements, being featured on Forbes’ “30 under 30” list of tech entrepreneurs in 2016. Three years later, he received an award for innovative breakthroughs in the field of identifying and preventing cyberthreats from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite the charges, Group-IB has expressed confidence in Sachkov’s innocence and maintained their trust in his honest business reputation.
Additionally, his arrest in 2021 followed concerns raised by US President Joe Biden to Putin regarding Russia’s role in allowing cybercrime directed at Western countries to thrive within the nation.
The outcome of this high-profile case will be closely watched by the cybersecurity community and may have implications for the industry and relations between Russia and other countries.
