Officials From Russia's Media Regulator Under House Arrest Amid Fraud Investigation

Officials from Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor, including its press secretary, were placed under house arrest earlier this month amid an investigation into possible fraud, a Moscow court spokesman said.

Chertanovo District Court spokesman Stanislav Yezhov said on October 12 that Roskomnadzor press secretary Vadim Ampelonsky and the chief of the agency's legal department, Boris Yedidin, were ordered under house arrest for one month on October 5.

Aleksandr Veselchakov, an adviser to the director of the state-run Main Radio Frequency Center, was also put under house arrest for the same period, Yezhov said.

According to Yezhov, the three are suspected of involvement in a massive financial fraud. He said none has been charged.

Roskomnadzor is the state agency that monitors electronic media, mass communications, information technology, and telecommunications to ensure their compliance with federal laws.

Kremlin critics accuse President Vladimir Putin's government of using it as a tool to clamp down on Internet freedoms and stifle dissent.

Based on reporting by Rapsinews, Interfax, and TASS