Phobos ransomware leader pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison

**Executive summary:** The report summarizes the guilty plea of Evgenii Ptitsyn for operating the Phobos ransomware operation that, between 2019 and 2024, facilitated ransomware attacks on over 1,000 victims (about 890 in the U.S.), extorted roughly $39 million in ransoms and caused at least $9.3 million in additional losses; Ptitsyn ran an affiliate distribution and decryption-key sales model, controlled cryptocurrency wallets, was arrested and extradited, and agreed to forfeiture and restitution as part of his plea.