Against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine, Russian authorities decided to establish full control over the internet.
The son of the first deputy director of the FSB, Sergey Korolev, has been revealed to be a top manager at the company "X Holding," which earns billions from equipment for blocking and surveillance in the Russian internet, as investigative journalist Andrey Zakharov found out. According to leaked data, Boris Korolev began his career as the CEO of the startup "Bastion" with a revenue of 5 million rubles, but by 2023 — at the age of 27 — he became the first deputy CEO of "X Holding." At that time, the company's turnover was 163 billion rubles (1.7 billion euros). Korolev's appointment followed the death of its owner, Anton Cherepeinikov, who died at the age of 40 under unclear circumstances. By 2025, "X Holding" entered the top three largest IT companies in Russia, and its revenue exceeded 260 billion rubles (2.8 billion euros).
The company supplies equipment for SORM systems — complexes for surveillance in telephone and internet networks, as well as technical means of countering threats (TSPU), which Roskomnadzor uses to block websites and services. The state allocated about 80 billion rubles for the implementation of TSPU. After Cherepeinikov's death, the shares of "X Holding" were distributed among the companies within it. Among them is the firm "Garda," 20% of which, according to the investigation, belonged to Boris Korolev. Thus, the son of the deputy director of the FSB may own a stake in "X Holding."
Sergey Korolev himself has been involved in economic security at the FSB since 2016 and has overseen high-profile anti-corruption cases. In 2021, he became the first deputy director of the service under Alexander Bortnikov and is now considered one of his possible successors. He holds the rank of army general. According to The Insider, Sergey Korolev also dealt with the leader of the Tambov-Malyshev organized crime group, Gennady Petrov.
Over the years, the relatives of the deputy director of the FSB have acquired elite real estate. When he was just 18-19 years old, his son was registered as the owner of elite apartments in St. Petersburg and a cottage in the Moscow region village of Lesnaya Bukhta, while his 26-year-old niece owns a 200 m² apartment in central Moscow. The value of these properties is estimated at 300 million rubles. The family also owns a fleet of cars, including Porsche and Mercedes, totaling 30 million rubles. According to "Important Stories," at the age of 23, Sergey Korolev's son was flying on business jets, the rental of which costs about 2 million rubles per hour.
Against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine, Russian authorities decided to establish full control over the internet. In 2025, WhatsApp was blocked in the country, and Telegram began to be restricted under the pretext of combating fraud, while simultaneously implementing the state messenger Max. In dozens of regions, mobile internet is regularly turned off, leaving access only to a "white list" of websites permitted by the authorities.
A complete transition to a "white list" internet in Russia may occur by 2028, experts from RKS Global predicted. They also expect an increase in digital control mechanisms, including the criminalization of any communication outside the oversight of security forces, the total implementation of facial recognition systems, and the launch of "programmable money" that can only be spent on approved purchases.
