Theories, Accusations and Rumors
Since the initial reports surfaced, Russian media have been flooded with conflicting theories about the arrests; about Mikhailov, Dokuchaev and Stoyanov; and about the accusations levied against them. Because the charges are treason, the case is considered "classified" by the state, meaning no official explanation or evidence will be released. An ultranationalist news network called Tsargrad TV reported that Mikhailov had tipped U.S. intelligence to the King Servers firm, which the FBI has accused of being the nexus of FSB hacking and intelligence operations in the United States. (It should be noted that Tsargrad TV tends toward sensationalism and has been used as a conduit for propaganda in the past.) The media outlet also claimed that the Russian officer's cooperation is what enabled the United States to publicly accuse Moscow of sponsoring election-related hacking with "high confidence."
The stories implicating Mikhailov gained credence when Russian businessman Pavel Vrublevsky made similar accusations. He asserted that Mikhailov leaked details of Russian hacking capabilities to U.S. intelligence agencies. Vrublevsky, however, had previously been the target of hacking accusations leveled by Mikhailov and his team, so it is possible that he has a personal ax to grind. To further complicate matters, a business partner of Vrublevsky, Vladimir Fomenko, runs King Servers, which the United States shut down in the wake of the hacking scandal.
Novaya Gazeta's sources contradicted the claim that the accused officers colluded with foreign intelligence assets, saying there was no evidence they were involved in the U.S. case. Instead, the media outlet tied the arrests to prominent Russian hacking circle Shaltai Boltai (Humpty Dumpty), which is linked to a series of high-profile network intrusions, including ones targeting senior Russian officials. More recently, the group was implicated in leaking emails after the hack of an account run by presidential aide Vladislav Surkov that exposed his oversight of Russian activities in eastern Ukraine.
In a 2015 interview, the leader of Shaltai Boltai, code-named "Lewis," said his group was driven purely by money, not ideology. He said if a client was willing to pay, then Humpty Dumpty would take the job. Lewis also said he didn't know the identities of all the group's clients because many kept them guarded. Three days after the original story about the FSB arrests broke, Kremlin-linked media outlet Rosbalt reported that Shaltai Boltai's leader — whom they named as Vladimir Anikeev — had been arrested in October on charges of unlawful access to computer information. The report said Anikeev confessed to working with Mikhailov and Dokuchaev. On Feb. 1, two of Anikeev's associates, Alexander Filinov and Konstantin Terlijakov, were also charged with being members of Shaltai Boltai. A lawyer for Anikeev said the charges against his client were not connected with the FSB arrests or U.S. hacking accusations.
Over the past few weeks, Tsargrad TV has developed the story, releasing further details and making connections that are explosive if true. The television station claimed that the CIA had sponsored Anonymous International to engage Shaltai Boltai to work with Mikhailov and his team. The story appears unlikely, however, because the CIA has previously been a target of Anonymous International. The convoluted report claims the CIA wanted Mikhailov and his team to infiltrate one of Russia's largest financial institutions, Sberbank, to collect data on Russians that the CIA could use to manipulate public opinion ahead of the upcoming Russian national elections.
More Questions Than Answers
As more details emerge, the true picture of what is happening grows murkier. It is evident that a campaign to confuse the situation is in effect, with conflicting news stories seeding the confusion. Most new information comes from Kremlin-related media outlets, meaning that influential figures in the Russian government are likely trying to redirect the story. It remains unclear why the initial details of the arrests were even made public. The accusation that such prominent FSB members could be linked to the U.S. hacking scandal would be tantamount to an admission of guilt after months of continual denials from Moscow that Russia had any part in the scandal.
