Russia’s FSB Detains Ex-Yandex Worker Accused of Sending Money to Ukraine

Agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) have detained a former employee of the tech company Yandex on suspicion of sending money to the Ukrainian army, state media reported Monday.

“The FSB has disrupted the illegal activities of a former Yandex LLC employee in the Nizhny Novgorod region,” the TASS news agency quoted the FSB’s press office as saying.

The unidentified ex-Yandex employee was alleged to be “involved in committing high treason by providing financial assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine directed against Russia’s security.” 

The maximum penalty for treason is life imprisonment.

According to the FSB, the detained man “transferred personal funds to the account of a Ukraine-registered foundation for the purchase of armored vehicles, ammunition, equipment, and medicine by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” 

A video shared by the law enforcement body showed masked agents apprehending the man in broad daylight and interrogating him inside an unmarked vehicle.

The detained man, whose face was blurred, said he donated money to the Come Back Alive charity on Feb. 27, 2022, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Come Back Alive describes itself as a charitable foundation dedicated to procuring equipment for the Ukrainian military.

According to the FSB, the man had previously been detained at unauthorized rallies inside Russia. He was also said to have fled the country after the Kremlin announced a “partial” mobilization in September 2022.

The FSB said it was working further to “gather evidence in the criminal case.”