Russian IT multimillionaire and Putin’s man for eavesdropping technology, Anton Cherepennikov, has passed away. According to Russian media, he died of cardiac arrest. However, there are unanswered questions about the death of the man who was allegedly the Kremlin boss’s chief eavesdropping specialist.
Vasily Polonsky, a friend of the late millionaire, told the independent Russian-language news agency Baza that he did not believe the official cause of death, Newsweek reported. According to Baza, an autopsy is still pending.
“Murder not ruled out”
Like Polonsky, the Russian opposition does not assume a natural death. “His assassination cannot be ruled out as the security apparatus is in despair over the failed war,” an unnamed opposition source told Britain’s The Sun. “He was an absolutely vital tool in Putin’s repression,” the source added.
An adviser to Ukraine’s intelligence service, Anton Gerashenko, wrote on Twitter: “Another mysterious death of a top man in Russia.”
Found lifeless in the office
The 40-year-old man was found dead in his Moscow office on Friday. Cherepennikov was the founder of ICS Holding, which included several IT companies. According to media reports, they would have followed large parts of Russian data traffic on the internet. His company Citadel is said to have employed several eavesdropping specialists. The IT oligarch’s company was apparently also responsible for overseeing the “Yarovaya” law.
This obliges Russian telecom companies to keep audio recordings, videos and text files of their customers for six months, the so-called metadata even three years. According to Baza, Cherepennikov also supplied software that companies had to install. The so-called SORM programs allowed authorities, especially the FSB secret service, to access their data at any time – even without the knowledge of the company. The company would have made millions in profit.
US sanctions against Cherepennikov
Cherepennikov was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in February for being “the economic owner and director of Citadel”. According to US authorities, the company has developed software aimed at “stealing financial and personal information from computer networks”. According to reports, ICS Holding has also been linked to Russian security services.
Series of mysterious deaths
The death joins a series of mysterious deaths of Russian oligarchs, top executives and military officials. It was only on July 20, barely two days before Cherepennikov’s death, that oligarch Igor Kudryakov was found dead in his Moscow apartment, the Russian news agency Tass reported. According to official information, the 63-year-old died from the effects of his cancer. In February 2023, the former head of the Russian Ministry of Defense died mysteriously. And also in December 2022, reports of dead soldiers increased.
Source: Krone
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