In the analysis published on June 19, 2025, the Sota project disputes the conclusions of the Important Stories (Vazhnye Istorii, VI) investigation that Telegram is linked to the FSB. According to Sota, the VI article is built on the thesis that the messenger uses IP addresses that are 'identified in Russia' and belong to Global Networking Management (GNM), and that its owner, Vladimir Vedeneyev, simultaneously held a position in Telegram's hierarchy and was a beneficiary of St. Petersburg-based Elektrontelekom, which serviced FSB facilities.
Sota cites Vedeneyev's explanations, in which he confirmed that GNM did provide server infrastructure to Telegram and that he himself signed documents as the messenger's chief financial officer. According to him, this position did not appear in reporting and did not involve a salary: 'My work with the Telegram messenger began when Pavel Durov in St. Petersburg asked me to take the position of chief financial officer, to be responsible for communication with suppliers, to sign documents, and so on. And formally I had a power of attorney to sign documents on behalf of Pavel Durov and on behalf of Telegram,' Sota quotes Vedeneyev's court testimony.
The thesis about FSB ties through Elektrontelekom is examined separately. Sota claims that the company participated in a tender to provide communications at a facility under FSB jurisdiction because it had clearance to work at civil defense sites, obtained earlier for laying a cable to 'civil defense facility No. 58' in St. Petersburg. According to Sota, Vedeneyev explained the sale of Russian assets to relatives after the war began by a reluctance to face sanctions risks and the impossibility of finding a buyer at market price.
The material also quotes Vedeneyev as saying that since 2022 GNM has had no employees working from Russia, and that a lawsuit in Miami, where GNM is a plaintiff in a case concerning missing memory modules, confirms, in his words, that the messenger's infrastructure is located outside Russia. Sota also cites Vedeneyev's ironic gesture: after the VI article was published, he gave one of the IP addresses the name 'Vazhnie_Istorii_FSB' with the RU domain, noting that now the publication's connection to the FSB has been proven.
The analysis also questions the quality of VI's source — former Telegram manager Elies Campo. Sota cites the reaction of the messenger's press service: 'Elies Campo never worked at Telegram, let alone headed anything. In 2016 he did volunteer work, and he was given a temporary email address that was subsequently revoked. He never received any monetary compensation from Telegram and did not conclude any contracts with us.'
According to Sota's assessment, VI's accusations against Vedeneyev and his companies are unfounded, and the interpretations presented in the investigation are not supported by evidence. Vedeneyev said he asked not to be named in the VI material, fearing for GNM's business reputation; among its clients are Google, Valve, Vodafone, and Blizzard.
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