US charges Russian-Israeli as suspected LockBit ransomware coder

The U.S. Department of Justice charged Rostislav Panev, a Russian-Israeli national, for allegedly developing LockBit ransomware encryptors and the StealBit data-theft tool and for managing dark-web infrastructure used by LockBit affiliates; Israeli authorities arrested him after finding credentials and source code for multiple LockBit builders (and leaked Conti-based code) on his computer. The complaint ties Panev to communications with LockBit's primary administrator, documents cryptocurrency payments of roughly $230,000 over 18 months, and places this arrest in the context of broader international disruptions to LockBit operations including Operation Cronos.