US unseals indictment against alleged operators of Russian bulletproof hosting service
The U.S. government has unsealed an indictment against three Russians linked to a Russian-based bulletproof hosting service, Media Land and ML Cloud, which provided infrastructure and tech support to cybercriminal groups. The service facilitated attacks on critical institutions and was used by ransomware gangs like Lockbit and BlackSuit, resulting in $62 million in losses for victims. The U.S. is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the apprehension of the defendants.
The U.S. government has unsealed an indictment against three Russians associated with a Russian-based bulletproof hosting service, Media Land and ML Cloud. The service, operating out of St. Petersburg, provided infrastructure and technical support to cybercriminal groups, enabling them to evade law enforcement and carry out attacks on critical institutions. The indictment, filed in December 2024, accuses the defendants – Aleksandr Volosovik (aka "Yalishanda"), Yulia Pankova, and Kirill Zatolokin – of conspiracy to commit and aid and abet computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Victims include 44 unnamed entities who suffered $62 million in losses. The U.S. Department of Justice is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the defendants. The indictment highlights the use of Media Land and ML Cloud by ransomware groups such as Lockbit, BlackSuit, and Play, and by cybercrime marketplaces including Briansclub, Cardhouse, crdclub, Club2crd, Verified, Fullzinfo, Swipestore and Bidencash. The investigation involved collaboration with agencies from the Netherlands and the U.K., with the U.K.’s National Cyber Crime Unit also issuing a statement supporting the action. Russia and the U.S. do not have an extradition treaty, and Moscow recently issued a warning to Russians not to travel to countries that routinely send criminal suspects to the U.S.