Moscow trials cop over treason and data access
In Moscow, a former police officer who investigated crimes against children with foreigners is being tried. The Moscow City Court began considering the case of Ivan Semenykhin, a former operative of the Main Directorate of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, according to 'Medialzone' (registered as a 'foreign agent').
Consensus
- Ivan Semenikhin is a former operative from the Main Directorate for Criminal Investigation of the MVD of Russia.
- He is being tried in Moscow by the Moscow City Court.
- The trial is being held in a closed session.
- He was arrested in February 2025.
- He is charged with treason (Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code) and unlawful access to computer information with serious consequences (Part 4, Article 272 of the Russian Criminal Code).
- The details of the case are not publicly known.
- Semenikhin investigated crimes against children in cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies.
- He participated in the 2020 operation to find a kidnapped seven-year-old boy from Vladimir Oblast.
Points of divergence
- The search for the kidnapped boy was aided by a colleague from a U.S. special unit that specializes in tracking pedophiles in the dark web. — tg_bbcrussian
- The attorney for Semenikhin, Ivan Pavlov, believes the FSB may have retroactively classified Semenikhin's contacts with foreign officers as espionage or disclosure of state secrets. — tg_echoonline_news
- Semenikhin was assisted by foreign colleagues in saving the child, and it is unknown whether the treason charges are linked to these contacts. — meduza
Coverage (4 sources)
- In Moscow, a trial began against a police officer who investigated crimes against children together with foreign colleagues. He is accused of treason. — Meduza
- Police officer who investigated crimes against children is being tried for treason and illegal transfer of data — ЭХО / Новости
- In Moscow, a former police officer is tried who investigated crimes against children together with foreigners — BBC News Русская служба
- Operative who investigated crimes against children with foreigners is being tried for treason and illegal data transfer — Медиазона