Oxygen Forensics, a data extraction firm officially based in Virginia but controlled by Russian nationals, spent years working on EU-funded projects and selling digital investigation software to European police forces, according to documents reviewed by the news outlet Politico. The company develops software used by law enforcement agencies to extract and analyze data from mobile phones and computers during criminal investigations.
US Indictments Lead to Arrests in London and Idaho
However, the firm was actually directed by Russian citizen Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov. British authorities arrested Davydov at London Heathrow Airport on Sunday, as he attempted to board a flight to Istanbul. US law enforcement simultaneously arrested Reiber in the United States.
US prosecutors state that the software was also tied to MKO Systems, another entity controlled by the same Russian owners. MKO Systems allegedly sold similar digital forensics technology to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Russian Ministry of Interior. While US prosecutors do not allege that the software contained malicious code, digital rights groups have raised concerns regarding data security.
European Police Contracts and EU Research Funding
Public documents show that Oxygen Forensics participated in at least two European Union research initiatives focused on digital evidence collection and sharing in criminal proceedings. The company was connected to the Evidence project, which received over 1.9 million euros between 2014 and 2016, and the Inspectr project, funded by Horizon 2020 and active until 2023—continuing after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The European Commission stated that Oxygen Forensics was not a formal member of either consortium and did not receive direct EU funding, noting that Russian entities have been barred from Horizon Europe since 2022.
Despite lacking direct grants, products developed by Oxygen Forensics were purchased or accredited by law enforcement agencies across Europe. Investigative records and technical documents indicate that police forces in Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, and Latvia acquired or utilized the technology. In Italy, an April 2026 technical document from the Prosecutor’s Office in Sassari lists Oxygen Forensics among the digital extraction tools available to judicial police officers for mobile device investigations.
Calls for Suspension and Investigation
Following the US arrests and the disclosure of the firm’s Russian ownership structure, digital rights organizations such as Access Now called for the immediate suspension of these tools across European agencies. Analysts and civil liberties advocates warn that sensitive data gathered during criminal investigations by local police departments could potentially be accessed by authorities in Moscow.
Project Background and Operational Impact
The operational footprint of Oxygen Forensics within European investigative infrastructure spans multiple administrative tiers:
- EU Research Frameworks: Indirect association with the Evidence project (2014–2016) and the Horizon 2020 Inspectr initiative, which ran until 2023.
- National Police Adoption: Procurement and technical accreditation by law enforcement bodies in Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, and Latvia.
- Judicial Deployment: Inclusion in specialized digital forensics guidelines, such as those issued by the Prosecutor’s Office in Sassari, Italy, in April 2026.
Oxygen Forensics software and European Union funding
What is Oxygen Forensics?
Oxygen Forensics is a software development company specializing in digital forensics tools designed to extract, preserve, and analyze data from smartphones and computers.
Did the European Union directly fund Oxygen Forensics?
The European Commission clarified that Oxygen Forensics did not receive direct EU funding or hold formal membership in the Evidence and Inspectr consortia, though its software was utilized within those research frameworks.
Which European countries used the software?
Documents show that police forces and judicial authorities in Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Latvia have used or accredited the company’s extraction products.
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