ALEKSEI Volkov, a Russian national, has been sentenced to 81 months in prison for his role in Yanluowang ransomware attacks, according to The US Justice Department. He served as an initial access broker, gaining entry to target organisations’ networks and handing over access to others who deployed malware and data theft. Volkov, 26, helped the operation which caused more than $9 million in losses and sought about $24 million in ransom from victims.
Following his indictment, he was arrested by Italian police in Rome and later extradited to the United States to stand trial, where he pleaded guilty in November 2025 and agreed to pay more than $9 million in restitution. The Yanluowang group was active in 2021 and 2022, with notable attacks including one against Cisco, where an initial access broker tied to Russia-linked UNC2447 and to Lapsus$ was identified.