On 31 October 2023, security forces reportedly detained Igor Ryabov, the editor-in-chief of online media outlet Oktagon.Media. Maria Gayko, a journalist at the outlet, was also reportedly detained. According to independent Russian media, the editor-in-chief and the journalist were detained on defamation charges. Russia’s state-controlled news agency TASS quoted anonymous sources from Ryabov’s circle, who claimed that the journalist had been detained for his work administering several anonymous Telegram channels. In turn, an anonymous source quoted by Telegram channel SHOT claimed that Ryabov and Gayko could have been accused of being responsible for the recent publication of a list of Russian public personalities accused of financing Ukraine’s armed forces, which included the wife of the governor of Leningrad region, Irina Drozdenko. Following the publication, the governor’s wife reportedly filed a complaint for defamation.
UPDATE: On November 2, according to unconfirmed Russian media reports, Ryabov was released on condition of not sharing information about his case. He was earlier interrogated and taken to St. Petersburg. There was no confirmation available on the possible release of Gayko.