A criminal espionage case against Tuva State Philharmonic soloist Tsetsendelger Tegshee has been sent to the Supreme Court of Tuva, Mediazona reported.
According to the court record, the case materials were registered on July 13, 2026. The same day, they were assigned to Judge Sholban Badyraa.
Tegshee’s lawyer declined to comment in a conversation with Mediazona, saying she was bound by a non-disclosure pledge.
In April 2025, Mediazona reported that the musician had been held since January in Moscow’s Lefortovo detention center in a case under Article 276 of the Criminal Code. Tegshee holds Mongolian citizenship. Mongolia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed his arrest but disclosed no further details.
The musician’s wife, Elena Kuular, who is also an artist with the Tuva Philharmonic, first denied that he had been arrested and later said the detention was the result of slander by jealous people.
Before his arrest, Tegshee was a well-known performer in the republic, with more than 14,000 followers on Instagram. In 2024, he received a commendation from the head of the region.
In June 2025, another case in Tuva became public: former deputy culture minister Ilya Sinkin was accused of treason under Article 275 of the Criminal Code. Investigators allege that he collected and passed to Ukraine information about the condition of the Russian-Mongolian border and methods of crossing it legally and illegally. As deputy minister, Sinkin oversaw, among other institutions, the Tuva Philharmonic, where Tegshee worked.