UNDER SCRUTINY

DOJ Investigating Sci-Hub Founder on Suspicion of Aiding Russian Intelligence: Report

The investigation reportedly has both criminal and intelligence-gathering elements.

The Justice Department is investigating a woman who runs a piracy website on suspicion that she is helping Russian intelligence gain access to inside information about the U.S. military from defense contractors, people familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post. Alexandra Elbakyan​, the creator of Sci-Hub, a website that provides free access to academic papers that are available only through subscriptions, told the Post she was not surprised she was being investigated by U.S. authorities. “I know there are some reasons to suspect me: after all, I have education in computer security and was a hobby hacker in teenage years,” Elbakyan told the newspaper. “But hacking is not my occupation, and I do not have any job within any intelligence, either Russian or some another.” It’s unclear if her work with Sci-Hub is the subject of the probe, but the Post reports the investigation has both criminal and intelligence-gathering elements, according to people familiar with the matter. A former senior U.S. intelligence official told the Post he believes Elbakyan is working with the GRU, Russia’s intelligence agency.