The owner of Urban University and Kazan’s « Sokol, » Timur Kalimullin, has been sent to prison. However, it was not due to the « Edex » case but rather for the mobile app SNAPS. More details are below.
Kalimullin Sent to Prison
Last week, on July 4, the Krasnogorsk City Court of the Moscow Region delivered a verdict against Kalimullin and two of his accomplices—Maxim Pozdnyashev and Maxim Saushin. The trio was found guilty of large-scale organized fraud. They faced up to 10 years in prison with fines.
However, the sentences were much lighter. Kalimullin was sentenced to 3.5 years in a general-regime prison colony with a fine of 350,000 rubles. Pozdnyashev received 2.5 years and a 250,000-ruble fine, while Saushin was given 1.5 years and a 150,000-ruble fine. The fines will go to the state.
All three were detained on December 18, 2024. They spent 203 days (6 months and 21 days) in pre-trial detention. According to Article 72 of the Russian Criminal Code, time spent in pre-trial detention counts toward the prison term. For general-regime colonies, one day in detention equals 1.5 days in prison.
Thus, Kalimullin could be released in 2.5 years, Pozdnyashev in 1.5 years, and Saushin in just six months. The terms may be further reduced if appeals are successful.
Why Kalimullin Was Convicted
Investigators and the court concluded that Kalimullin, Pozdnyashev, and Saushin were involved in creating the mobile game SNAPS. For this purpose, they established a legal entity—LLC « SNEPS. » Saushin was listed as the nominal owner and director of the company.
Records indicate that the company generated 121,000 rubles in revenue in 2023, with a net profit of 10,000 rubles. No financial reports were filed for 2024. The company was registered in Kazan on Chapaev Street. Investigators believe Kalimullin was the business organizer, while Pozdnyashev developed the app.
A beta version of the app appeared in spring 2023, and by summer, it was fully operational. Users were offered in-game currency rewards for completing tasks or making real-money purchases. A referral system was also in place. The game had social media accounts, but they have not been updated since July 2023.
The app’s concept involved users earning in-game currency by watching and reacting to videos. These « energy points » could then be converted into $SNPS tokens and transferred to users’ wallets, where they could be sold or withdrawn. Online tutorials even explained how to earn money through SNAPS.
In one day, users could supposedly earn 3,330 tokens, equivalent to $33 at the time. However, the token value later plummeted—for example, 1,000 $SNPS tokens were worth just 13 kopecks. To make $33, users would have needed to sell 19.6 million tokens. So, what went wrong?
Due to an excessive number of referrals, the token’s value crashed, and users accused the creators of intentionally devaluing it before reporting them to the police. The case was only opened after pressure from « a user with significant administrative influence, » whose identity remains undisclosed.
Reports also indicate that after Kalimullin’s arrest, problems arose at Urban University and the football club « Sokol, » where he was the owner. According to sources, Kalimullin had already stepped back from managing the team long before the end of the 2024 Second League season. The same happened with Urban University—he delegated all responsibilities to assistants.
As a result, thousands of clients of LLC « Edex » were left stranded—promised loan refunds were not issued, yet repayments were still required. Many Urban University employees also went unpaid. The damages from « Edex » exceed 1 billion rubles, and investigations are ongoing.
The situation with « Sokol » is similar—players and staff went months without salaries. The club nearly missed the new Second League season but secured last-minute funding. However, no new sponsor was found, and the club’s debts surpassed 5 million rubles. Last weekend, « Sokol » likely played its final
