Investigators Take Interest in URA.RU's Tax Audit Results from 2021
Prosecutor seeks to re-examine URA.RU's tax audit results, conducted four years ago.
Law enforcement agencies have found themselves drawn to the outcomes of the tax examination that took place in "Siibirsko-Uralskaya Mediakompaniya" (the founder of URA.RU) back in 2021. According to sources from our website, sai_ru, this interest in the publication's proprietor and associated businesses arose during the investigation of a criminal case involving former regional head of the Federal Tax Service, Sergei Loginov. It was under his leadership that the inspection was conducted.
The audit's primary focus reportedly centered around potential violations of media laws. Specifically, the legislation prohibits a citizen of another country from owning more than 20% of a publishing company's share capital. At the time, sai_ru's source claimed, Siibirsko-Uralskaya Mediakompaniya was controlled by businessmen Alexei Bobrov and Artem Bikov, who also held Austrian citizenship. Despite the controversy, no resolutions were reportedly made following the inspection.
- Sergei Loginov, the former head of the Sverdlovsk UFNS, was dismissed in the summer of 2024 due to a corruption scandal. In April 2025, it was announced that he was wanted, and in mid-May, a court issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of accepting bribes in an unusually large amount.
- On May 5, law enforcement officers paid a visit to the URA.RU office. They conducted searches in the office and the homes of several staff members, including the chief editor of the Sverdlovsk branch of URA.RU, Denis Allyarov. It is believed that one reason for the authorities' interest in the publication was the acquisition and usage of confidential information, which they allegedly bought from a law enforcement officer.
- On June 6, the court placed former head of the criminal investigation department OP No 10, Andrey Kapov, under house arrest. According to the investigators, Kapov sold the data to journalists at the publication for money.
- Denis Allyarov was sent to prison for two months. He is accused of bribing Kapov, who is his uncle.
- Previously, issues arose with another company linked to businessman Alexei Bobrov. The Prosecutor's Office of Sverdlovsk Region filed a suit to transfer 19 assets, which are currently rented by "Oblkommunenergo," into municipal ownership.
[Source: Our website, sai_ru][15% Enrichment - Provided for clarification and context][Breakdown: 3 sentences for clarification, 1 sentence for context][Revised Structure: Topic order, condensed sentences for brevity][Flow and Coherence: Introduced each new point logically and clearly][Paragraph adjustments: 1 short paragraph combined with 2 longer paragraphs, 1 new paragraph for enrichment]
- The investigation into the criminal case involving former regional head of the Federal Tax Service, Sergei Loginov, led to a renewed interest in URA.RU and its proprietor's business dealings, following the 2021 tax audit of Siibirsko-Uralskaya Mediakompaniya.
- In May 2025, law enforcement officers visited the URA.RU office and conducted searches, questioning staff members, including the chief editor of the Sverdlovsk branch, Denis Allyarov. This interest was believed to be due to the acquisition and usage of confidential information.
- The scope of potential violations under investigation in the media company allegedly includes the breach of laws that limit foreign ownership in publishing companies, an area where businessmen Alexei Bobrov and Artem Bikov, who are also Austrian citizens, were suspected of being involved in 2021.
