Journalist Oleg Roldugin detained, Novaya Gazeta sacked: 13-hour search for investigation into the penthouse of Ramzan Kadyrov's nephew's assistant

The search of Novaya Gazeta's editorial offices lasted for approximately 1:00 p.m. and ended after midnight. Equipment and documents were confiscated, the newspaper reported on its Telegram channel.

“Two security vans are leaving the building. They seized equipment and documents. The investigation lasted a total of 13 hours,” the publication states.

The editorial staff signed non-disclosure agreements. According to “Ostorozhno Novosti,” everyone who entered the office was questioned by security forces. After the search, their phones were returned.

Searches of the newspaper's Moscow office began at midday. The Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently announced it had opened a case for the illegal use of data (Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code) during the preparation of articles and the conduct of searches within its framework. According to the agency, in 2025 and 2026, “search queries were made on private personal data storage resources to obtain citizens' personal data, which was subsequently used to post articles on Telegram channels.”

The agency's official release did not name the publication, but RIA Novosti and TASS sources in law enforcement agencies reported that the searches were carried out at the Novaya Gazeta editorial office.

Later, the newspaper itself reported the 48-hour detention of Oleg Roldugin, a Novaya Gazeta columnist and co-founder of the newspaper Sobesednik (OOO Sobesednik-Media, the legal entity of Sobesednik, has been designated a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice) on suspicion of committing acts under Part 3 of Article 272.1 of the Criminal Code. A RIA Novosti source in law enforcement also reported the journalist's detention.

“Oleg Roldugin is involved in a criminal case; he has been detained and is undergoing questioning,” he said.

It is known that before the criminal case was opened, Roldugin published investigations into Kadyrov's inner circle, new history textbooks, and revealed information about who wrote the denunciation of street musicians from St. Petersburg.

According to Ostorozhno Novosti, before the case was opened (February 21), a Novaya Gazeta columnist published an investigation, “The Penki Obshchestva,” about Kadyrov's nephew's assistant, Ruslan Alisultanov, who was listed as a simple government employee before purchasing a 3.5 billion ruble penthouse on the banks of the Moskva River.

“In the phones of his acquaintances, this man is listed under various nicknames: 'Ruslan the Guard of Islam,' 'Ruslan the Driver of Ibrahim Zakriev,' 'Ruslan the Assistant of Ibrahim Zakriev,' 'Ruksek Yakub Zakriev,' 'Pom Yakub Ruslan,'” Roldugin wrote in this text.

In the article “They Can Repeat It” (February 5), Roldugin talked about how authors and editors of new history textbooks receive large royalties for this, turning “rewriting the past” into a profitable market.

And in December 2025, in the text “The Story of One Denunciation,” a journalist revealed the identity of a 59-year-old St. Petersburg activist who systematically wrote denunciations, including complaints about the musical group “Stoptime.”

sovsekretno.ru

Vyacheslav Derevyagin