-
Australia, the UK, and the US have jointly sanctioned two Russian nationals and their companies for enabling cybercrime.
-
The sanctioned “bulletproof hosting” services deliberately ignored law enforcement requests to take down criminal websites.
-
The sanctions attract penalties of 10+ years imprisonment for anyone within Australia working with these entities.
Popular in the dark web space is a “digital fortress” that hides bad actors from punishment. Scammers, hackers, and ransomware gangs basically rent a space on this hosting service just for launching attacks.
The hosts protect them as they don’t cooperate with law enforcement. Unfortunately, that fortress just got raided. Australia and its allies just dropped the hammer on two major dark web enablers.
The Australian authorities announced sanctions against two nefarious individuals, Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, Aleksandr Alexandrovich Volosovik, who also goes by Yalishanda. These two Russian men operate Media Land LLC and ML.Cloud LLC. For over a decade, their companies provided what’s known as “bulletproof hosting” to cybercriminals worldwide.
The Business of Shielding Criminals
Bulletproof hosting is exactly what it sounds like. Cybercriminals pay these firms for access to their digital framework. They carry out ransomware attacks, distribute malware, and pull off scams from these “no-compliance” servers. The key selling point? These hosts deliberately ignore takedown requests from law enforcement.
When police agencies identify illegal websites, they normally ask hosting companies to shut them down. Media Land LLC and ML.Cloud LLC just… don’t. They built their entire business model around this refusal.
The impact has been massive. Criminal campaigns using their infrastructure targeted Australia, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. These services form the backbone of a multi-billion-dollar criminal economy, as evidenced by recent reports that Russian dark web markets laundered $2 billion via crypto exchanges, highlighting the immense profits at stake.
The list of attacks is chilling:
- Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against critical frameworks that disrupt essential services.
- Malware campaigns specifically aimed at Australians and Australian financial institutions.
- Ransomware attacks by notorious syndicates, including Lockbit, Blacksuit, and Clop.
These ransomware groups hit Australian and international businesses hard. They stole data, encrypted entire systems, and extorted victims for massive payouts.
Real Consequences for Dark Web Operators
The sanctions disclosed on November 20, 2025, are not just symbolic. Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs introduced financial penalties as well as travel bans on both parties and their firms. This marks the fifth time Australia has used its “cyber sanctions framework” designed against malicious actors. It’s only the second time they’ve targeted actual entities rather than just individuals.
The Australian Signals Directorate and the Australian Federal Police provided the intelligence and investigative work. This falls under their joint standing Operation Aquila. It’s part of a broader coordinated international law enforcement effort.
Here’s where it gets serious for anyone thinking about using these services. Under Australia’s cyber sanctions framework, it is now a criminal offense for Australians or anyone in Australia to provide assets to these sanctioned individuals. You cannot deal with Media Land LLC or ML.Cloud LLC in any way.
That includes using or dealing with their assets through cryptocurrency wallets or making ransomware payments through their services. Any assets owned by these companies or the two men must be frozen immediately.
The penalties are stern. Whoever goes against these sanctions faces up to 10 years imprisonment and serious fines.
Why This Crackdown Matters Now
Commissioner Richard Chin, of the AFP Cyber Command, made the government’s position crystal clear. These darknet services & two individuals in the law net provided assistance to criminals online to attack Australians & rob innocent victims.
They created an opportunity for cybercriminals to carry out their evil deeds by refusing to take down websites with illegal content that had been flagged by international law enforcement agencies and governments,” Assistant Commissioner Chin explained.
His message to cybercriminals remained unambiguous and straight to the point. Operating on the dark web doesn’t give you immunity from law enforcement. “We can monitor your nefarious activity, and we will fish you out.”
Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Jess Hunter, highlighted the determination of the government. Cyber sanctions counter cybercrime and safeguard Australians by fishing out bad actors operating across various regions.
This leaves the bad actors at a higher chance of detection, irrespective of their hideout. The international coordination behind these sanctions sends a powerful signal. The days of bulletproof hosting living up to its name are numbered.
