U.S. Sentences Russian Hacker to 6.75 Years for Role in $9M Ransomware Damage

Aleksei Olegovich Volkov, a 26-year-old Russian national, was sentenced to 81 months in prison in the U.S. after pleading guilty for acting as an initial access broker who facilitated dozens of ransomware attacks (including Yanluowang) that caused more than $9 million in actual losses and over $24 million in intended losses; prosecutors also charged a third BlackCat (ALPHV) negotiator, Angelo Martino, with extortion-related conduct and seized nearly $9.2 million in cryptocurrency, highlighting the criminal ecosystem of access brokers and negotiators that enable large-scale ransomware campaigns.