The U.S. Department of State has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the whereabouts of three Russian nationals accused of managing technological infrastructure used for ransomware attacks and other malicious cyber activities targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.
The individuals identified are Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, 43, known as "Yalishanda," Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, 34, and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, 29, all hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia.
U.S. authorities have unsealed criminal charges filed by the Northern District of Ohio's Prosecutor's Office, accusing the trio of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder money.
According to the U.S. government's statement, these individuals "facilitated criminal cyber activities against critical U.S. infrastructure," impacting victims across 21 states and several countries, resulting in losses amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
The Department of Justice's dossier specifies that losses exceed $62 million, with victims including banks, schools, government entities, hospitals, and media companies throughout the United States.
Volosovik and Pankova are identified as owners and executives of Media Land LLC and ML.Cloud LLC, respectively, both based in St. Petersburg.
These companies provided "bulletproof" hosting services—infrastructure designed to withstand detection and takedown attempts by law enforcement through the use of shell companies, anonymous domain registrations, and rapid IP address rotation techniques.
This infrastructure was exploited by ransomware groups such as LockBit, BlackSuit, and Play to carry out their attacks.
Volosovik, in particular, maintained direct contact with Dmitry Khoroshev, alias "Lockbitsupp," the sanctioned administrator of the LockBit group, which is considered one of the most destructive in recent years.
The formal charges against Volosovik, Zatolokin, and Pankova signify a shift from administrative sanctions to direct criminal prosecution, with the $10 million reward serving as leverage to gather information on the three Russians' whereabouts.
Furthermore, the reward is offered under the Department of State's Rewards for Justice program, which accepts information through encrypted channels, including a Tor network address, and allows payments in cryptocurrency.
This announcement is part of a continued effort by Washington to pressure Russian-linked cybercrime networks. In April of this year, the FBI conducted Operation Masquerade, dismantling a Russian GRU espionage network across more than 23 states in the country.
The unsealing of these criminal charges represents an escalation from previously adopted measures: in November 2025, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia imposed coordinated sanctions against the three individuals and their companies, which included asset freezes, travel bans, and financial penalties.
Key Questions About the $10 Million Reward for Russian Hackers
Who are the Russian hackers involved in the U.S. reward offer?
The hackers are Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, all from St. Petersburg, Russia.
What crimes are these Russian nationals accused of?
They are accused of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder money.
What is the significance of this $10 million reward announcement?
The reward marks a shift from administrative sanctions to direct criminal prosecution, aiming to gather crucial information about the hackers' whereabouts.