Researchers from Bellingcat have sifted through the leaked files and have reportedly gathered information identifying Russian secret police personnel — some, they say, who were associated with the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Researchers Use Yandex Data to Track People of Interest
Yandex — which is often called the “Google of Russia” — launched its food delivery platform, Yandex Eats, in 2018. Since its launch, the platform has grown into one of the leaders in food delivery in the country. While news of the data leak broke last month, many investigators and journalists saw it as an opportunity to look for leads into stories of corruption. Investigative journalism group Bellingcat reported its findings a few days ago, including information on the contents of the leaked files. Bellingcat also used some of the leaked data to look into the subjects of its ongoing investigations. This included Russian security services and military personnel. “The vast majority of this data concerns ordinary Russian citizens whose ordering habits are not hugely useful for investigative research,” Bellingcat stated. “However, specific targeting of addresses, phone numbers, names, and notes in delivery instructions pointed our researchers to some interesting leads,” it added.
Bellingcat Uncovers New Information on Navalny Poisoning, Other Findings
Among Bellingcat’s high-profile investigations is the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny by a team of FSB officers. Through the leaked files, investigators were able to find a previously unidentified individual with whom the FSB communicated constantly. Here is what Bellingcat had to say about the discovery: “It is unclear exactly what role this person had with the organization and execution of Navalny’s poisoning, but he was on the phone with one of the FSB team members on the night of the poisoning and the following morning when Navalny was rerouted to Omsk.” Through the delivery addresses and instructions in the leak, Bellingcat uncovered new information about the FSB’s military bases, such as the FSB’s Special Operation Centre in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha. Some using the app gave instructions to drivers about the location being closed off or secured, and that they would need to arrive at the checkpoint, or call ten minutes before delivery. The leak also provided new information about President Vladimir Putin’s alleged former mistress and their “secret daughter,” according to opposition leaders. In a tweet, Russian politician Lyubov Sobol claimed that the two live in an apartment worth 170 million rubles (almost $2 million USD).
Yandex Already in Hot Water with Roskomnadzor
Yandex has faced heavy criticism from the Russian people as well as Roskomnadzor, the federal communications regulator. In fact, the regulator was working hard to restrict public access to the breached data back in March. Roskomnadzor also threatened to fine Yandex 100,000 rubles ($1,180) for violating Russia’s personal data law. At the time, Yandex blamed the leak on “the dishonest actions” of one of its employees. However, it added that the leak did not expose information such as login credentials, payment details, and registration data. Some analysts have suggested that the data leak findings could also be used to dox secret police and personnel following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
