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Russian dissident's iPhone was reportedly accessed with Israeli forensic tools
How 4 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.
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First reported by Calcalist · Jun 25, 2026
What happened
Citizen Lab says Cellebrite forensic tools were used to access the iPhone of Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov while it was in Russian custody. Cellebrite says any post-March 2021 use in Russia was unauthorized, but the researchers argue the company failed to protect human rights.
- 01Citizen Lab says Cellebrite tools were used against Andrey Pivovarov’s seized iPhone.
- 02The break-in happened on June 17, 2021, after Cellebrite said it left Russia.
- 03Russian records allegedly show access to WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber.
- 04Investigators also failed repeatedly to crack Pivovarov’s encrypted MacBook.
- 05Cellebrite calls any post-March 2021 Russian use unauthorized.
Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.
In this story
People
Full coverage · 4 outlets
The same event, reported separately by each newsroom. Open a few to compare what each emphasizes — and what they leave out.
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