Searches were conducted at the URA.RU editorial office for several hours, and journalist Sergei Bodrov was questioned by the Investigative Committee following a search of his home. Bodrov was later released after signing a non-disclosure agreement regarding the preliminary investigation, according to his lawyer.

Law enforcement agencies, cited by TASS, reported that evidence was discovered on work computers in the publication’s office indicating that employees regularly obtained operational reports from law enforcement representatives, and notes were allegedly published on the website based on this information.

During the searches, one pregnant employee reportedly felt unwell and was initially not permitted to leave the editorial office by investigators, but she was later released.

Earlier reports indicated that Denis Allayarov, the head of the Sverdlovsk editorial office of URA.RU, and journalist Anna Salymskaya were detained. Additionally, security forces allegedly used force against editor-in-chief Diana Kozlova, who had a conflict with investigators and was unable to leave for a medical examination.

URA.RU was founded in 2006 by journalist Aksana Panova. In 2011, the publication was accused of unauthorized publication of preliminary voting results during the parliamentary elections. The same year, the sale of a stake to an Austrian company was announced, along with the opening of a Moscow office. Diana Kozlova is the current chief editor.