Sapa employees in Vladikavkaz were released after hours of interrogation.

Security forces in Vladikavkaz only released the employees of the Telegram channel "Sapa" detained after searches of the editorial office overnight.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that searches were conducted at the editorial office of the Telegram channel "Sapa" in Vladikavkaz starting in the morning of April 14. That evening, the Investigative Committee announced that the project's editor-in-chief, Alina Dzhikayeva, and a police officer from Makhachkala were detained on charges of bribery and bribery, respectively. The police officer is also suspected of abuse of power: according to investigators, he provided Dzhikayeva with information about incidents in Dagestan and North Ossetia, along with the personal information of those involved, for money.

Law enforcement officials only released all the Sapa employees and the Eyes Tour travel agency, which operates in the same building, detained after searches in Vladikavkaz after midnight. The travel agency is also owned by Alina Dzhikaeva, where she serves as CEO.

Colleagues and family members were unable to locate four editorial staff members and one Eyes Tour employee for several hours. Several of their colleagues were questioned at the counter-extremism center after the searches, the Sapa 15 channel reported.

Sapa correspondent Zaur Farniev was released that evening after being questioned. According to him, his colleagues were unable to determine for a long time the whereabouts of correspondent Elena Cherenkova, who was detained outside the editorial office that morning. Cherenkova's lawyer was not allowed into the "E" center, and the journalist's husband filed a report of her kidnapping, Farniev noted.

Sapa's editorial staff also commented on the Investigative Committee's official press release about Alina Dzhikaeva's arrest, noting that the project was founded only in March 2023. The Investigative Committee, however, claims that Dzhikaeva has been paying a Makhachkala police officer for exclusive information since the summer of 2020.

The editorial office also stated, citing witnesses, that law enforcement officers, when they arrived at Dzhikaeva's home, accused her of fraud (Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code). This article was not mentioned in the Investigative Committee's press release.