US and allies seize $1 million in BTC, nine domains, and four servers from Russian ransomware gang

PANews reported on August 12th that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation on July 24th, seizing four servers, nine domain names, and approximately $1 million in Bitcoin assets associated with a Russian ransomware ring. The operation targeted the BlackSuit and Royal ransomware strains, a group that has extorted over $500 million since 2022 and reaped at least $370 million in illegal profits. The frozen Bitcoin assets were partially derived from a $1.45 million ransom paid by victims in April 2023. U.S. officials stated that this action represents a significant blow to the ring's operations, and that the investigation is ongoing, with the possibility of additional charges.