Russian Prosecutor's Office Withdraws Lawsuit Against Timur Turlov and Freedom Holding Corp.
The Tverskoy District Court in Moscow has terminated proceedings in an administrative case brought by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office against Timur Turlov, founder of Freedom Holding Corp. and president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
On October 15, 2026, the court accepted the Prosecutor General's Office's refusal to pursue the claim, ended the case, and removed all previously imposed protective measures on the defendants' property.
Court Proceedings and Withdrawal
The statement of refusal was submitted on October 14, 2026, by Deputy Prosecutor General Igor Tkachev. The following day, the judge informed the parties, held a preliminary hearing, and approved the withdrawal. No explanation for the decision was given during the session.
The court canceled all asset freezes and other interim measures that had been applied earlier in the proceedings. This ruling applies specifically to the current administrative case and does not resolve the underlying claims on their merits.
Original Demands by the Prosecutor General's Office
The lawsuit sought to transfer cash, other assets, movable and immovable property belonging to the defendants into state ownership. According to sources cited by Interfax, the total value was estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The claim also requested that the defendants be recognized as an extremist association and that their activities in Russia be prohibited.
At the time the case first appeared in court records, detailed grounds for the demands were not publicly disclosed, and the case file contained no list of specific assets targeted.
Defendants Named in the Case
- Timur Turlov
- Arkady Shchukin
- Freedom Holding Corp.
- Freedom Finance Europe Ltd.
- W-Empirical Holding Corp.
Kazakhstan-based operating companies of the group were not included among the defendants.
Case Timeline
- September 24, 2026 – The administrative claim was registered with the Tverskoy District Court.
- September 28, 2026 – The claim was accepted for proceedings.
- October 1, 2026 – Information about the case became public via the court database.
- October 14, 2026 – Deputy Prosecutor General Igor Tkachev filed the withdrawal statement.
- October 15, 2026 – The court terminated proceedings and lifted asset restrictions.
Implications of Case Termination
Under Article 195 of the Russian Code of Administrative Procedure, the accepted refusal prevents the Prosecutor General's Office from refiling an identical claim against the same parties concerning the same subject matter and grounds.
The ruling may still be appealed, but the current proceedings have concluded due to the claimant's voluntary withdrawal.
Freedom Holding Corp. Position
Following the initial reports, Freedom Holding Corp. stated it was reviewing the situation and saw no significant risks to its operations. The company noted it maintains no assets or activities in Russia and expressed surprise at the nature of the claims while emphasizing compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Background on Timur Turlov
Timur Turlov is a Kazakhstani billionaire and majority shareholder of Freedom Holding Corp., a U.S.-registered company listed on Nasdaq. The group provides brokerage, banking, insurance, and other financial services, with Kazakhstan as its primary market. Turlov acquired Kazakh citizenship in 2022 after renouncing Russian citizenship and was elected FIDE president in September 2026. His net worth was estimated at $5.2 billion by Forbes Kazakhstan in May 2026 and stood at $7.2 billion according to Forbes global tracking as of October 23, 2026.
Related articles
Rostelecom Refactors InfoSec Careers: Matching Employee Skills to Evolving Business Priorities
Rostelecom's information security block developed a systematic approach to reassess employee expertise and redirect talent to new roles when business structures change rapidly. In one case, an architect hired for a specific team was reassigned after the unit was disbanded, initially moving to a similar position that did not fully align with his broader competencies. HR-business partner Olga Lapshina examined the specialist's full background, including prior work in audits, methodology development, regulatory documentation, university teaching, and scientific research, plus strong mentoring abilities with younger staff. These skills matched the needs of the methodology department, leading to a transfer supported by an individual development plan and a mentor via the internal Tochka Rosta platform. Within two months the employee contributed improvements that accelerated preliminary InfoSec audits by 30 percent and risk assessments by 20 percent while expanding threat scenario coverage by 10 percent. The initiative demonstrates Rostelecom's emphasis on horizontal career movement and retention of experienced professionals through structured career tracks.
How to Avoid Becoming the Hero of 'My Program Deleted 800 GB': Safe Recursive Deletion in Bash and Python
A recent Habr article examines dangerous patterns in recursive file deletion scripts that have caused massive data loss incidents, including an 800 GB wipe triggered by Telegram Desktop on Windows. The piece analyzes classic mistakes such as empty variables in rm commands and extra spaces that turned single paths into multiple destructive arguments, referencing the 2015 Steam Linux bug and the 2011 Bumblebee installer error. It provides hardened Bash templates using set -euo pipefail, ${VAR:?} checks, realpath validation, and --one-file-system flags to prevent deletion of forbidden directories or symlinked targets. The Python section introduces a safe_rmtree wrapper that enforces root boundaries, rejects symlinks, uses resolve(strict=True), and checks shutil.rmtree.avoids_symlink_attacks before proceeding. Additional recommendations include dry-run modes, marker files, temporary directory usage, and logging to make deletion operations auditable and reversible where possible.
Hackers tamper with refrigeration units in European supermarkets, setting temperatures to +50 °C
Attackers gained unauthorized access to refrigeration and freezer control systems in supermarkets across several European countries, including Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia. In multiple locations they altered temperature settings to +50 °C, risking widespread spoilage of perishable goods. The incidents primarily affected older, unpatched Danfoss controllers that had been connected to networks for remote maintenance. Estonian manufacturer Kitman Coldtech reported that one attack on a legacy Danfoss system was detected and stopped within approximately ten minutes, preventing any damage. Similar intrusions were confirmed by Swedish chains ICA and Coop, following earlier incidents in French supermarkets in October that resulted in product losses. Experts note that legacy industrial controllers remain attractive targets because they are often left exposed once placed online for convenience.
AmneziaWG Container for MikroTik Routers Delivers Top Performance Six Months After Launch
A developer released an AmneziaWG container for MikroTik devices in February 2026 and has since added major improvements in speed, protocol support, and stability. The lightweight container leverages the router's native WireGuard implementation for cryptography while handling AmneziaWG obfuscation in software. Performance now reaches 250-350 Mbit/s on models such as Hap Ax3 and RB5009B after switching to C code and increasing buffer sizes with RouterOS 7.24. New features include server mode for connecting multiple MikroTik devices, random port hopping, IPv6 support, dynamic DNS, and offline configuration. The project survived an early GitHub ban caused by test scripts and has grown to over 370 stars while remaining fully offline and privacy-focused.