Vladimir Vedeneyev, co-owner of telecom operator GlobalNet, wrote on Twitter on August 13 that his legal team at Clare Locke LLP had sent a formal demand to OCCRP. The news was reported by the Sota project. The claims stem from a June 10 Important Stories report alleging that Telegram is linked to the FSB through a contractor, GNM, whose owner was identified as Vedeneyev, responsible for part of the messenger's server infrastructure.
According to Vedeneyev, Important Stories is part of the OCCRP network of investigative journalists, and it is the only organization with which the outlet's editor-in-chief, Roman Anin, is formally and openly associated. In his statement, Vedeneyev said: “OCCRP (journalist Roman Anin) violated our informal agreement and distorted the facts concerning Global Network Management Inc. (GNM).” He also noted that he values transparency and had not wanted to disclose information publicly, but was forced to do so to protect his reputation and that of the company. In the coming days, Vedeneyev promised to share documents and factual evidence, including email correspondence and a Swiss court ruling.
Earlier, Sota interviewed Vedeneyev, from which, according to the project, the weakness of the accusations made by the author of the Important Stories piece, Roman Anin, became evident. Anin responded by publishing a conversation with Vedeneyev that, it is claimed, was initially conducted on a “not for publication” basis and was manipulatively edited.
The legal entity of Important Stories, previously registered in Latvia as IStories fonds, was liquidated after being added to Russia's list of undesirable organizations. The outlet now states on its website that its legal entity is ISM, Inc, without disclosing its jurisdiction.
1
