March 17, 2026

Family of another FSB general works at X-Holding, which is involved in internet blocking, Nova-Europe learned

Andrei Fetisov, a 76-year-old colonel-general of the FSB and former head of the Scientific and Technical Service, holds the position of advisor to the general director at X Holding, Nova-Europe learned from leaks. This holding includes companies that produce and supply equipment for surveillance and traffic filtering. Until 2019, Fetisov may have been responsible for this work in the FSB. There is almost no official information about the Scientific and Technical Service (NTS) of the FSB, which Fetisov previously headed. The website 'Agentura,' maintained by special services researchers Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, describes the infrastructure of this service: it includes several centers engaged in special equipment, encryption, and scientific developments. For example, it was the NTS that requested Telegram's encryption keys in 2016. A lawyer from 'First Department' noted in a conversation with Nova-Europe that the service may be responsible for restrictions on the Runet. 'They have many departments responsible for various technical and informational tasks. Sometimes this center conducts expertise of equipment in criminal cases, and it is known that they also create their own spy equipment. Technically, they can also be involved in blocking on the Runet – they have several scientific institutions for this,' the expert said. In 2019, some media reported on Fetisov's resignation. This personnel decision was made amid an internal conflict in the FSB leadership. Currently, the colonel-general earns several million per month for his work as an advisor to the general director of X-Holding: according to leaked data, his salary in July 2025 was over 2.5 million rubles. The general's son, Maxim Fetisov, also works at X Holding; he heads the Department of Methodology and Procurement Organization – meaning he is responsible for supplying surveillance and blocking equipment to law enforcement agencies, including the FSB, where his father previously worked. Fetisov Jr.'s salary in July last year was almost 600 thousand rubles. What kind of holding is it? X Holding includes several companies that supply equipment for surveillance and internet blocking: for example, Citadel is the largest manufacturer of equipment for listening to and analyzing internet traffic in Russia, including devices for implementing the 'Yarovaya Law.' Yadro, also part of the holding, produces 'technical means of threat counteraction' (TSPU), which Russian operators are required to install for traffic filtering. In addition, the holding includes the former management company 'Garda' (which changed its name to 'X Bezopasnost' in January of this year). Boris Korolev, son of FSB Deputy Head Sergei Korolev, owned a stake in Garda. In 2023, Korolev Jr. became the deputy director of X Holding, investigative journalist Andrei Zakharov reported. X Holding was established in 2018 by Anton Cherepennikov to consolidate IT assets. He has been involved in SORM-related business since 2005. In 2020, Cherepennikov's business was bought by Alisher Usmanov's USM Telecom. The founder himself remained the general director of X Holding. In March 2022, after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, USM sold the holding back to Cherepennikov; the transaction amount remained unknown. This asset could have increased sanction risks for Usmanov due to the business's close ties with the state sector and the FSB. The connection of X Holding with high-ranking security officials had been known since 2019. At that time, the Russian service of the BBC reported that Cherepennikov invested in Boris Korolev's company 'Bastion.' In 2023, 'Bastion' became part of X Holding's management company 'Garda.' Andrei Fetisov, the former head of the FSB's NTS, has been receiving a salary at the company since at least 2023. In July 2023, Cherepennikov died, likely due to xenon poisoning.