Ilya Sachkov

[2] Sachkov started Group-IB at age 17 while studying at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and according to the Financial Times, "attempted to build a global business while remaining on the good side of the Russian government.

Sachkov's criticism of the Russian government's apparent tolerance of some online criminals continued until late until his arrest by the FSB in September 2021.

[4] In a statement released by his lawyer to Forbes Russia in November 2021, Sachkov rejected the treason charges saying he is "neither a traitor nor a spy" and appealed to Putin to move him to house arrest while he awaits trial, after his detention was extended by three months.

[8][9] Russian businessman Boris Titov called for answers in a Facebook post, saying "It is necessary for investigators to explain themselves", otherwise it would deal a "critical blow" to the sector.

[4][2] According to Bloomberg News, Sachkov was alleged to have provided information to western intelligence agencies about Vladislav Klyushin, a founder of another cybersecurity company, who was arrested in Switzerland in March 2021.