A 26-year-old Russian national has been given a prison sentence of 6 years and 9 months in the United States for aiding significant cybercriminal groups, including the Yanluowang ransomware group, in carrying out numerous attacks on U.S. businesses and organizations.

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) states that Aleksei Olegovich Volkov assisted in numerous ransomware attacks across the U.S., resulting in over $9 million in actual damages and more than $24 million in projected damages. Volkov was apprehended in Italy on January 18, 2024, and subsequently extradited to the U.S. to face charges. He admitted his guilt to the offenses in November 2025.

Volkov allegedly functioned as a broker who initially gained illicit entry into computer networks and systems of different organizations, subsequently selling that access to other criminal enterprises, notably ransomware operators. This was achieved by taking advantage of weaknesses or discovering methods to infiltrate the networks without permission.

“Volkov’s accomplices then utilized the entry provided by Volkov to infect the targeted computer networks and systems with malicious software,” according to the DoJ statement. “This malware encrypted the data of the victims, preventing them from accessing it, and disrupting their business operations.”

“The criminal group then demanded that the victims pay a ransom in cryptocurrency – sometimes reaching tens of millions of dollars — in order to restore their access to their data and promise not to make the breach public or post the stolen data on a ‘leak’ site.”

Volkov received a cut of the illegal profits each time a victim paid a ransom. He was charged with illegally transferring a means of identification, trafficking in access information, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft, in addition to two counts of computer fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

As part of his guilty plea, the defendant has agreed to compensate victims fully, including a minimum of $9,167,198 to identified victims to cover their actual losses, as well as give up the tools used to perpetrate the crimes.

The announcement comes as U.S. law enforcement has indicted a third person on charges that they served as a negotiator for the BlackCat (also known as ALPHV) ransomware group, assisting the threat actors in extracting larger payments from at least 10 victims. Angelo Martino, 41 (previously referred to only as “Co-Conspirator 1”), served as a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint.

Authorities have seized almost $9.2 million in five types of cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Monero, Ripple, Solana, and Stellar) from 21 wallets under Martino’s control, including seizing prized vehicles and real estate. He could face a maximum prison term of 20 years. Two additional incident responders, Ryan Clifford Goldberg and Kevin Tyler Martin, confessed their roles as BlackCat affiliates in December 2025.

In a statement provided to The Record, DigitalMint reported that the actions violated the company’s policy and ethical guidelines, which led to the termination of both Martino and Martin after their behavior was discovered.

“DigitalMint strongly condemns the criminal behavior of these individuals, as it clearly contradicts our values, ethical principles, and the law,” it stated. “Our company and industry are dedicated to supporting organizations affected by the effects of a cyberattack, and what they did is totally against what we stand for.”