MOSCOW, Russia — Russian online media platform Baza reported on Tuesday that police raided its office and the apartment of its editor-in-chief, Gleb Trifonov, as investigators initiated a probe into alleged media leaks from law enforcement agencies.
Baza, meaning “Base,” is an online publication specializing in criminal news, boasting over 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram. The outlet is recognized for its strong connections and sources within Russian law enforcement.
“Police officers raided Baza offices,” the media outlet announced on its Telegram channel, adding that they “also visited the apartment of Baza editor-in-chief Gleb Trifonov, who is currently unreachable.”
Concurrently, Russia’s Investigative Committee published a Telegram post confirming it had “initiated a criminal case on abuse of authority by police officers.”
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The Investigative Committee stated that raids were conducted in Moscow and several other regions, though it did not specify if these operations were directly related to the Baza probe.
Law enforcement members are suspected of leaking classified information that subsequently appeared “on one of the Telegram channels,” according to the investigators.
Moscow has intensified its decadelong crackdown on independent media since its military offensive in Ukraine began, enacting broad censorship laws that effectively prohibit any criticism of the military.
