That the "Shalotai" did not blame

The verdict of Vladimir Anikaev may be a “cover operation” for a much more serious criminal group

The Moscow City Court sentenced the leader of the hacker group “Shaltai-Boltai” Vladimir Anikeev, known in cyberspace under Nick Lewis, to two years in prison. Already in July, Anikeev may be released by parole, since Art. 272 of the Criminal Code is a crime of moderate severity, and parole is possible after the first third of the term. Anikeev was taken into custody on November 9 last year, eight months expire on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Recall that Vladimir Anikeev was detained by the FSB officers at the Pulkovo airport at the end of last year. As soon as the court issued an arrest sanction, Anikeev pleaded guilty, repented, went to cooperate with the investigation. Therefore, the Mosgorsud considered the criminal case against Anikeev in a “special order”. Without researching evidence, without interrogation of witnesses and victims. But at the same time, the criminal case was classified and the trial went behind closed doors. The investigation imposed a “secret” vulture on the criminal case, because the case file supposedly contains information containing “state secret”. And this is strange.

The fact is that Anikaev was charged with hacking electronic mailboxes by Presidential Assistant Andrei Belousov, General Director of MIA Russia Today Dmitry Kiselev, Sberbank employee Evgenia Kislyakov and employee of the Summer group of Elena Morozova.

For example, the contents of the mailboxes from August 2013 to February 2016, the former head of the project management directorate in the field of housing and communal services of Sberbank of Russia PJSC, Evgenia Kislyakov, “Shaltai-Boltai” put up for sale in the so-called exchange for 70 thousand dollars. For the correspondence of Elena Morozova from 2008 to 2016 (11 thousand letters with a volume of 13 GB), supposedly containing a large number of confidential commercial information regarding the activities and assets of the Summer group, hackers demanded 96 thousand dollars. The Lot soon bought an unknown client.

But, despite the fact that in almost all these episodes there were signs of a crime, which in the Criminal Code is called extortion, Anikayev presented a much more humane article by the Criminal Code - “Unlawful access to computer information, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy”.

A few years ago, the “Novaya” came into contact with the representatives of Shalaya-Boltya, when we were offered to purchase a huge array of information allegedly obtained by hacking the mailboxes of the administration of the President of Russia, some ministries and large commercial structures. Even then, we noticed that the correspondence and documents proposed to us could not be abducted by hacking the mailboxes. Such volumes of information could be stolen exclusively from computers' servers.

And we suggested that Shaltai-Boltai is used by people who have access to computer servers of ministries, departments, presidential administration to legalize theft and plums of confidential information. When it became known that the case of a “shaft-bolt” was classified, this version began to look even more convincing.

We also drew attention to the fact that information about the criminal case regarding the “Shalaya-Boltai” appeared in the media after it became known about the arrest of the FSB officers, Colonel Sergei Mikhailov and Major Dmitry Dokuchaev, suspected of treason. Today it can be assumed that the leakage of information about the arrest of Anikeev and his accomplices occurred in order to divert public attention from a criminal case against the FSB officers.

The version of the relationship of the criminal case against the "Shali-Bolti" with the criminal case of the state treason today does not seem very convincing. And that's why.

The FSB officers were detained on December 4, 2016, that is, almost a month after the arrest of Anikeev. Mikhailov and Dokuchaev are not amateurs, experienced officers who could not help but guess that Vladimir Anikeev began to cooperate with the investigation will definitely testify against them. But, apparently, Mikhailov and Dokuchaev did not fear the revelations of the hacker and did not leave Russia, did not disappear, because they were sure that if they were in contact with Anikeev, these contacts did not be criminal.

Nevertheless, the criminal case against the "Shali-Boltya" was classified. Perhaps in the criminal case there really is secret information about other FSB officers who supplied hackers with information stolen from the servers of the victims in the criminal case against Anikeev.

Our sources in the FSB and investigating authorities did not confirm, but did not refute this version. But she explains a lot. Including an extremely soft sentence to Anikeev, allowing him to count on release in the coming days.