Searches at Sapa's Vladikavkaz Editorial Office: Editor-in-Chief Detained, Staff Detained by Security Forces

On Tuesday morning, searches were conducted at the offices of the regional publication Sapa in Vladikavkaz. According to the media outlet's website, unknown individuals in civilian clothes raided the office. After reporting the raid, the editorial staff disappeared.

It was later reported that several people were presumably detained by law enforcement. The reasons for their detention were not specified at the time.

That evening, the Russian Investigative Committee announced the detention of Alina Dzhikaeva, editor-in-chief of the Sapa Telegram channel, and an operational duty officer of the Makhachkala Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the agency, they were detained in connection with a bribery case, after which they are expected to be transferred to Moscow.

"According to the investigation, no later than July 2020, while in Moscow, Dzhikaeva, in accordance with an agreement reached with the duty officer of the Makhachkala Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, received information about incidents and operational situations in Dagestan and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, containing citizens' personal data," the Investigative Committee reported.

According to the investigation, from July 2020 to June 2025, the police officer received over 250,000 rubles from the journalist for transmitting this information.

"During searches of residences and workplaces in Vladikavkaz and Makhachkala, documents and electronic storage devices of significant importance to the investigation were discovered and seized," the agency added.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia stated that "as a result of the actions of the detainees, the legitimate interests of citizens whose personal data was disseminated were violated."

Sapa itself noted inconsistencies in the investigation's version.

"The wording regarding the claims regarding an event allegedly taking place in 2020 raises questions. If this is true, then the question once again arises as to the reasons for the arrest of all editorial staff, given that the publication did not yet exist at the time—Sapa was founded in March 2023," the publication's Telegram channel stated.

As a reminder, searches were conducted at the Novaya Gazeta editorial offices in Moscow on April 9. The detained journalist, Oleg Roldugin, was subsequently charged with unauthorized access to computer information as part of a group. He has been remanded in custody until May 10.

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