As it became known to Kommersant, the investigation into the case of Inna Churilova, the administrator of the Infernal Grandmas and Financial Guard Telegram channels, has been completed. She is accused of extorting 1.2 million rubles. for blocking negative information about the senior vice president of Promsvyazbank (PSB) Alexander Ushakov for three months. Ms. Churilova fully admitted her guilt and entered into a pre-trial agreement on cooperation, after which her case was separated into a separate proceeding. One of the other defendants, Alexander Bayazitov, does not admit guilt, the other, Olga Arkharova, admits partially.
Inna Churilova was detained in August 2022 along with her colleagues Alexandra Bayazitova and Olga Arkharova. All three were arrested, they were charged with large-scale extortion (part 3 of article 163 of the Criminal Code). However, three months later, Ms. Churilova was placed under house arrest. This, according to Kommersant, happened after the administrator of the Telegram channels confessed and entered into a pre-trial cooperation agreement.
After that, her case was separated into a separate proceeding, and the other day, according to Kommersant, the TFR completed the investigation.
As follows from the materials of the investigation, at the beginning of 2022, Inna Churilova, Olga Arkharova and Alexandra Bayazitova, being administrators of the Hellish Grandmothers Telegram channel, entered into a criminal conspiracy out of selfish motives, the purpose of which was to extort the senior vice president of the PSB, Alexander Ushakov heading the department of financing industry, energy and housing and communal services in the bank. According to the investigation, at first the defendants found ways to compile and promote information “dishonoring Mr. Ushakov” as part of “his work,” which they then published on their Telegram channel. After that, realizing their criminal intent, the case says, the defendants suggested that the representatives of the banker remove the negative posts in which he was mentioned from the Infernal Grandmas, as well as agree to temporarily block the placement of such information in the channel. For communication, the investigation believes, the defendants used the @nedorian account, also registered in the Telegram messenger. Through him, the first demand for the transfer of money was put forward – it was about the amount of 420 thousand rubles. In return, they promised to remove two posts previously posted there from Hell’s Babok, and also gave guarantees not to post similar information within one month from the date of payment. On June 22, 2022, according to the investigation, by order of the senior vice president of the PSB, the entire amount was transferred to a bank account provided by the defendants in the case. It should be noted that, according to Kommersant’s sources, Ms. Churilova received the money on her bank card, after which she divided it in half with the author of the notes, Bayazitova.
On July 27, 2022, according to the investigation, the defendants Churilova, Arkharova and Bayazitova, being in an unidentified location and again using the same account, put forward a demand for the transfer of 1.2 million rubles to them.
The payment of this amount, as the defendants assured the banker, guaranteed blocking the placement of negative posts mentioning him for three months. Considering these demands illegal, Mr. Ushakov applied to law enforcement agencies, after which all negotiations were held under the control of operatives.
As Kommersant previously reported, in addition to Infernal Grandmas, the defendants in the case also administered the Financial Guard channel, and, as they themselves explained during interrogations, since 2019, “there has been a massive order for negative”. As for Alexander Ushakov, the attention of the channel’s administrators was attracted by the story of his long-standing and already canceled conviction, information about which remained in the media.
After the end of the investigation, the case of Inna Churilova, given her agreement with the investigation, will apparently soon be sent to court, and there it will be considered in a special order – without examination of evidence and interrogation of witnesses. She herself will have to act as a witness at the trial of Alexandra Bayazitova, who does not admit guilt, and Olga Arkharova, who partially admits her. Their case, according to Kommersant, will be completed in the near future. It was not possible to get a comment from Mrs. Churilova’s defense.
