Russian authorities raid popular Telegram channel with law enforcement ties and arrest its head over alleged leaks

Police in Moscow raided the offices of Baza, a media outlet known for its ties to Russia’s security services, as well as the apartment of its editor-in-chief, Gleb Trifonov, on Tuesday. Baza itself reported the searches, noting that it had lost contact with Trifonov and the journalists who were in the newsroom at the time. According to his neighbors, Trifonov was taken away to an unknown location. It was later confirmed that he had been brought in for questioning and then detained.

Initially, Baza suggested that the raids might be linked to a criminal case opened in another Russian region. Shortly after news of the searches broke, the Investigative Committee announced a criminal case in Moscow targeting police officers accused of abuse of power.

According to investigators, officials in Krasnodar Krai, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the Belgorod region uncovered “unauthorized disclosures of restricted information,” which had later been published on Telegram.

The Investigative Committee said the raids were conducted as part of this case, with searches taking place in Moscow and the three regions mentioned above. Investigators reportedly seized “items and documents relevant to the investigation.”

Although the committee did not name the Telegram channel involved, both TASS and RIA Novosti reported that the case concerns material published by Baza. The outlet later confirmed this, stating that Trifonov was being questioned in connection with the abuse of power investigation.

The Russian authorities have not officially commented on the searches of Baza’s newsroom. The legal status of Trifonov and the other journalists who remain unreachable is unclear. According to the newspaper Kommersant, Trifonov is currently classified as a witness.

During the raid, authorities confiscated phones, computers, and documents from Baza’s newsroom. One staff member was taken to a police station and also had her devices seized. When lawyers for Baza’s staff reached the office, they were initially blocked from entering.

The Telegram channel Ranshe Vsekh published photos and video from inside Baza’s newsroom taken during the raid. Commenting on the footage, Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev wrote: “So the cops raided a newsroom over claims it was getting leaks from cops — and then leaked video of the raid to another newsroom? A mistake was made, but where exactly…”

Russian investigators have previously raided the offices of journalists accused of purchasing information from law enforcement sources. In early June, officers searched the offices of Ura.ru, a pro-government outlet in Yekaterinburg. The site’s editor, Denis Allayarov, was accused of bribing his uncle, the head of the local criminal investigations unit. Ura.ru has denied the allegation.

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