US unseals indictment of Russian bulletproof hosts

Three Russian nationals and two companies have been indicted on charges of operating a sophisticated "bulletproof hosting" service that allegedly enabled cybercriminals to launch attacks causing tens of millions of dollars in losses to victims across the United States and several other countries. The indictment, which was originally filed by a federal grand jury in December 2024, was unsealed on July 14, 2026, by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

The defendants are Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, 43, Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, 34, and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, 29, all residents of St. Petersburg, Russia. They are charged alongside two companies, Media Land LLC and ML.Cloud LLC, which they allegedly owned and operated. The charges include conspiracy to commit computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aiding cybercriminal activities.

According to court documents, the companies provided internet infrastructure and technical support designed to help cybercriminals evade law enforcement. This "bulletproof hosting" allegedly enabled clients to deploy ransomware and malware, extort victims for money and cryptocurrency, register fraudulent...