# Russian FSB officer who ran ‘Kremlin-insider’ Telegram channel gets 11 years for extorting tech company

https://mins.news/en/item/24361

- Meduza, 2026-08-17 16:26 UTC
- Society
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/17/a-russian-fsb-officer-who-ran-a-kremlin-insider-telegram-channel-is-sentenced-to-11-years-for-extorting-a-tech-company

> Moscow’s Garrison Military Court sentenced Mikhail Polyakov, administrator of the Telegram channel Kremlyovskaya Prachka, to 11 years in a penal colony for extorting 42.5 million rubles from Russian IT company LANIT. Investigators said he ran the scheme while serving as an FSB officer. He was also fined 800,000 rubles and stripped of his retired-colonel rank.

## Related coverage

- [Russian court sentences war critic Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison](https://mins.news/en/video/24396) — VOA Chinese, 2026-08-17