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 placed in pretrial detention in a treason investigation, according to reporting by Vot Tak. Sources cited by the outlet said investigators are examining paid Telegram reactions worth 2,200 rubles, roughly $26, left on opposition and Ukrainian channels. The charges and evidence have not been independently detailed by Russian authorities in the source report.
Russian mathematician and journalist Semyon Krasotkin, 27, has been charged in a treason case linked to paid reactions he left on Ukrainian and opposition Telegram channels, according to reporting by the independent outlet Vot Tak. A court ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months on September 19; sources cited by the outlet said the reactions under investigation were worth 2,200 rubles, about $26.
Vot Tak reported that Krasotkin was detained in mid-August at Domodedovo Airport after returning from Kyrgyzstan. A source told the outlet that border guards searched his phone and found Telegram “stars,” paid reactions that function as a form of virtual currency on the platform, on posts in Ukrainian and opposition channels.
According to the report, authorities initially held Krasotkin through consecutive jail terms for the administrative offense of petty hooliganism. Vot Tak’s sources said he had been due for release on September 17 but was kept in custody and taken to the Moscow office of the Federal Security Service (FSB), where a treason investigation was opened. A court ordered him held for two months two days later.
One source told Vot Tak that investigators cited reactions valued at 2,200 rubles in the case. Another said Krasotkin had sent stars to a Ukrainian meme channel that was “probably” raising money for Ukraine’s armed forces. That description is a source’s account, not a confirmed finding about the channel or the purpose of the payments. The report does not provide a public charging document or a detailed account of the evidence.
Paid Reactions Under Scrutiny
The case matters because it involves a small amount of money sent through a routine social-media feature being examined in a treason investigation. The reported value—2,200 rubles, or about $26—does not by itself establish what investigators believe Krasotkin intended or what legal basis they say applies. Those details are not set out in the source report.
It also highlights the potential risks for Russian users whose online activity can be traced to their accounts. In September, human rights advocates asked Telegram founder Pavel Durov to make paid reactions anonymous, saying Russians faced criminal prosecution over them. Krasotkin’s case adds to concerns about whether low-value platform transactions can be treated by authorities as evidence in serious criminal cases.
Telegram paid reactions virtual currency
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Airport Detention to FSB Case
Vot Tak’s account places the start of the case at Krasotkin’s return from Kyrgyzstan in August 2026. The outlet said his phone was searched at Domodedovo Airport, after which he was held on successive administrative sentences before the treason investigation was opened. The report does not say whether officials publicly announced the investigation or identify the specific provision of the treason law being used.
Krasotkin has a master’s degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and worked as a mathematician at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, Vot Tak reported. He also joined Russian Wikinews at age 16. The project’s website lists him as one of its nine administrators and says he has published more than a million news items.
Vot Tak reported that criminal investigations involving Telegram stars had been reported since early 2026, with initial cases involving allegations of financing terrorism. The Telegram channel Tyuremny Advokat reported the first treason investigations over stars during the summer. Those earlier reports provide context, but they do not establish that the allegations or evidence in Krasotkin’s case are the same.
“The stars listed in the case were worth a total of 2,200 rubles.”
— A source cited by Vot Tak
Telegram star reactions for social media
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Evidence and Charges Not Detailed
The source report relies on people familiar with the case and does not include a statement from the FSB, prosecutors, or the court. It does not publish the indictment, specify which actions prosecutors characterize as treason, or explain how investigators connect the paid reactions to the alleged offense. The precise legal theory and full evidence remain unclear.
It is also not independently confirmed in the report that the Ukrainian channel was collecting money for Ukraine’s armed forces. The stated value of the reactions comes from a source cited by Vot Tak, and the report gives no exchange-rate date or calculation method for the approximate $26 figure. Krasotkin’s response and the status of any request for comment are not provided.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Court Case and Detention Timeline
The immediate known milestone is Krasotkin’s two-month pretrial detention order, issued on September 19, according to Vot Tak. The report, published October 17, does not say whether the detention has since been extended, whether formal charges have been presented in court, or when a further hearing is scheduled.
Further court records or statements from the FSB, prosecutors, Krasotkin’s representatives, or his family could clarify the alleged conduct and the legal basis of the case. Until more information is available, the reported connection between the Telegram reactions and the treason charge should be understood as an account attributed to Vot Tak’s sources, not a fully documented public case file.
social media reaction tracking tools
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Who is Semyon Krasotkin?
Krasotkin is a 27-year-old mathematician and journalist from Moscow, according to Vot Tak. The outlet reported that he studied at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and worked at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences.
What are Telegram stars?
Stars are paid Telegram reactions that function as virtual currency on the platform. The report says investigators found reactions Krasotkin had left on Ukrainian and opposition channels.
How much money is involved?
A source cited by Vot Tak said the reactions listed in the case totaled 2,200 rubles, approximately $26. The report does not state how the dollar conversion was calculated.
Has a court found Krasotkin guilty?
No guilty verdict is reported. A court ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months on September 19, according to Vot Tak. The source report does not describe a trial or conviction.
What remains unknown about the case?
The public account does not include the indictment, the specific legal argument for the treason charge, or the full evidence. It also does not include an official FSB or court response, or Krasotkin’s response to the allegations.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
