Oleg Roldugin, an investigative reporter and columnist with independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, has been detained in Moscow since April 9, 2026, on charges of “illegal use, transfer, or storage of information containing personal data.” He faces up to six years in jail under Part 3, Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code.
On April 9, law enforcement officers searched Novaya Gazeta’s office in Moscow as part of a criminal case opened on March 10. The same day, police detained Roldugin after searching his home and took him in for questioning. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti posted a video of the journalist being detained.
The search continued for 13 hours. Police seized equipment and documents. During that time, more than 10 employees with the media outlet had to remain inside the building and were unable to be contacted.
On April 10, a court in Moscow placed Roldugin under arrest until May 10, pending investigation. “I hope everything will be fine. We all know full well that the work of a journalist isn’t exactly welcomed here,” Roldugin, who denied the charges, said in court before the hearing began. The journalist suffers from severe migraines, his lawyer said during the hearing.
Roldugin’s equipment, hard drives, and press credentials were seized during the search at this home, and police examined his Telegram chats on his phone, “including those with Telegram bots.” The case materials presented in court cite unspecified “messages sent to Telegram bots” as evidence.
Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said a “group of individuals” had used sources containing “personal data” to “prepare news articles and negative content about Russian citizens.”
On May 6, a Moscow court extended his detention until July 10. During the May 6 hearing, Roldugin partially admittedguilt and stated that he collected data through a Telegram bot named “Sherlock,” but did not know it was illegal.
Russian state news agency TASS reported that officers were also checking the outlet for ties to Latvia-based Novaya Gazeta Europe, launched in April 2022 by journalists who had previously worked at the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, many of whom fled following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities banned Novaya Gazeta Europe as “undesirable” in June 2023.
In September 2022, Russian authorities stripped Novaya Gazeta of its print and media licenses. The newspaper has continued to publish articles and videos online, as well as in the form of a magazine with a circulation of no more than 999 copies, which is permitted without a print license. Roldugin, a cofounder of the now-shuttered independent newspaper Sobesednik, has authored investigations into corruption in the presidential administration.
CPJ emailed a request for comment to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs but did not immediately receive a response.