MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. Russian investigators have pressed criminal charges against blogger Elena Blinovskaya, who is suspected of failing to pay 918 million rubles (almost $11,250,000) in taxes, the Russian Investigative Committee’s press service told TASS on Thursday.

"The [Investigative Committee’s] Main Investigative Department for the City of Moscow has initiated a criminal case against Elena Blinovskaya. She is suspected of tax evasion on a large scale, as well as the legalization of large sums of money or other assets acquired by criminal means," the press service said, adding that she was detained while trying to leave Russia.

Investigators noted that the criminal case was opened on the basis of materials received from the Moscow branch of the Russian Federal Tax Service. "According to investigators, Blinovskaya, who provided information services through the Internet, used a business segmentation scheme, understated income earned and failed to pay VAT and personal income tax for the period 2019 -2021 for a total of more than 918 million rubles (about $11,246,224 - TASS)," the statement said.

The Investigative Committee revealed that the blogger was detained while trying to cross the Russian border. "Elena Blinovskaya was detained by law enforcement officers while trying to cross the border of the Russian Federation in a previously rented car. She had air tickets for a flight to another country," the statement said. Investigators are now conducting searches of the suspect’s office and place of residence.