Summary
TLDR: Two Russian nationals tied to ransomware group LockBit have wallet addresses added to US sanctions list. International law enforcement agencies collaborated to charge and take down LockBit. Chainalysis reported ransomware payments exceeded $1 billion in 2023, the highest ever observed.
Key Points
1. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added wallet addresses tied to two Russian nationals, Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, to its specially designated nationals list.
2. Sungatov and Kondratyev were indicted on charges related to ransomware deployment and were tied to the LockBit ransomware group that received over $120 million in ransom payments.
3. OFAC identified 10 wallet addresses tied to Sungatov and Kondratyev, and the US, UK, and other law enforcement agencies worked together to charge and take action against LockBit.