TL;DR
Get everyday essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Russian mathematician and journalist Semyon Krasotkin, 27, has been charged with treason and ordered held in pretrial detention, Vot Tak reported. Sources cited by the outlet said investigators focused on paid Telegram reactions worth 2,200 rubles, about $26, left on opposition and Ukrainian channels. The investigation’s evidence and the formal allegations against Krasotkin have not been independently detailed in the report.
Russian mathematician and journalist Semyon Krasotkin, 27, has been charged with treason and placed in pretrial detention after authorities cited paid reactions he left on Ukrainian and opposition Telegram channels, the independent Russian outlet Vot Tak reported. Sources cited by the outlet said the reactions, Telegram’s paid “stars,” were worth 2,200 rubles, or about $26; the precise legal theory and other evidence in the case have not been publicly described in the report.
Krasotkin was detained at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in mid-August after returning from a trip to Kyrgyzstan, according to a source who spoke to Vot Tak. The source said border guards searched his phone and found stars he had used to react to posts in opposition and Ukrainian Telegram channels. Telegram stars are paid reactions that function as a form of virtual currency on the platform.
Vot Tak reported that Krasotkin was held through successive short jail terms for the administrative offense of “petty hooliganism”. He was due to be released on September 17 but remained in custody, sources told the outlet. He was then taken to a Moscow office of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s domestic security agency, where investigators opened a treason case, according to those sources. On September 19, a court ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months.
One source told Vot Tak that investigators listed reactions totaling 2,200 rubles. Another said Krasotkin had sent stars to a Ukrainian Telegram meme channel that was “probably” raising money for Ukraine’s armed forces. That characterization is a source’s account, not a publicly confirmed finding about the channel’s purpose. Krasotkin’s reported academic and journalistic work includes a master’s degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, a mathematics job at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, and a role as an administrator at Russian Wikinews.
Paid Reactions at the Center of a Treason Case
The case puts ordinary platform activity—paid reactions on Telegram posts—at the center of a serious criminal investigation. It could add to concerns about how digital payment features and visible interactions with politically sensitive content may be interpreted by Russian authorities. The reporting does not establish that a reaction alone is sufficient for a treason conviction, nor does it disclose the full evidence investigators are relying on.
The reported amount, 2,200 rubles, is small in monetary terms, but the significance of the case is the alleged destination and interpretation of the payments, not their value alone. If investigators believe a channel was collecting money for Ukraine’s military, that claim may be relevant to their case; the available report does not confirm that the channel was doing so or explain how prosecutors connect Krasotkin’s reactions to treason.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Wider Pattern of Telegram Cases
Vot Tak’s report places Krasotkin’s arrest amid Russian criminal investigations involving Telegram stars that have been reported since early 2026. Initial cases reportedly involved allegations of financing terrorism. During the summer, the Telegram channel Tyuremny Advokat reported what it described as the first treason investigations involving stars. These accounts provide context, but they do not establish that the cases share the same evidence or legal basis.
In September 2026, human rights advocates asked Telegram founder Pavel Durov to make paid reactions anonymous, citing criminal prosecutions in Russia connected to them. The appeal reflected advocates’ concerns about users’ exposure through their platform activity. The source report does not say that Telegram changed the feature or that anonymity would affect Krasotkin’s case.
“The stars listed in Krasotkin’s case were worth a total of 2,200 rubles.”
— A source cited by Vot Tak
Evidence and Legal Basis Still Unclear
The available report does not provide the formal charge documents, the full evidence collected by investigators, or a detailed explanation of how the alleged reactions meet the legal definition of treason. It also does not establish whether authorities allege Krasotkin knowingly supported a military effort, or whether they cite other conduct or communications.
The account relies on sources speaking to Vot Tak; the report does not include a response from Krasotkin, his lawyer, the FSB, or prosecutors. The claim that the Ukrainian meme channel was raising money for Ukraine’s armed forces is explicitly described by one source as probable. The court’s order was for two months of pretrial detention, but the report does not state whether it was later extended or whether a trial date has been set.
Court Proceedings and Case Details
The next developments to watch are any public filings or court hearings that clarify the specific treason allegation, the evidence cited by investigators, and the length of Krasotkin’s detention. The report gives no confirmed timetable for a trial or further court proceedings.
Until authorities or Krasotkin’s representatives provide more detail, key parts of the case remain based on accounts from sources cited by Vot Tak. Any future reporting should distinguish the court’s detention decision from a finding of guilt: Krasotkin’s case remains under investigation, and the available material does not report a conviction.
Key Questions
Who is Semyon Krasotkin?
Krasotkin is a 27-year-old Moscow mathematician and journalist. Vot Tak reported that he earned a master’s degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, worked at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, and administered Russian Wikinews.
What are Telegram stars?
Stars are paid reactions on Telegram that function as virtual currency. Vot Tak’s sources said investigators cited stars Krasotkin left on posts in Ukrainian and opposition channels.
How much were the reactions said to be worth?
One source cited by Vot Tak said investigators listed reactions totaling 2,200 rubles, about $26. The report does not provide a transaction-by-transaction breakdown.
Has Krasotkin been convicted?
No conviction is reported. According to Vot Tak, authorities opened a treason investigation, and a court ordered Krasotkin held in pretrial detention for two months on September 19.
What remains unknown about the case?
The public account does not detail the full evidence, the precise legal argument for treason, or whether investigators allege conduct beyond the reactions. It also does not confirm that the Ukrainian channel was raising money for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
