Since June, three Russian nationals have been sent to the United States from Cyprus, Georgia and Thailand to face trial in separate cybercrime cases. The extraditions came as US authorities intensified efforts to prosecute cybercriminals suspected of operating outside the country.
The schemes charged in the three cases allegedly affected tens of thousands of people and caused losses of millions of dollars. The cases include allegations involving malware attacks, bank fraud and unauthorized access to the computer systems of public- and private-sector organizations.
Malware charges against Searzhudin Aktulayev
Searzhudin Aktulayev, 40, who was detained in Cyprus in May 2025, was extradited to the United States on August 28. Aktulayev made his first appearance before a federal judge in San Francisco on August 31.
US prosecutors allege that Aktulayev and his associates created approximately 255 fake accounts in 2016 and 2017 on an online platform serving freelancers. Prosecutors claim that the accounts were used to send malicious files to about 80,000 users.
The indictment states that opening the files installed malware that enabled the attackers to remotely access affected computers and steal data. Approximately half of the potential victims were in the United States, and the investigation identified data belonging to thousands of people, as well as e-commerce login credentials and the personal information of hundreds of individuals.
Aktulayev faces several charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, distributing malicious code, gaining unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft. A conviction on the most serious charge could carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Bank fraud charges against Sergei Filimonov
Georgia extradited Sergei Filimonov, a Russian web developer, to the United States several weeks before Aktulayev’s extradition. Filimonov made his first appearance before a federal judge in Atlanta on September 4.
Prosecutors allege that Filimonov and his associates created websites impersonating US banks between November 2023 and October 2025. The group allegedly purchased Google-sponsored links that directed bank customers to fake login pages designed to steal their credentials.
The US Department of Justice said the scheme resulted in the unauthorized transfer of $28 million from US bank accounts. Filimonov allegedly managed the operation’s technical infrastructure, including a database containing more than 5,000 stolen login credentials.
Filimonov is charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Although the combined statutory maximum penalties for the charges total 175 years, defendants convicted in US federal courts generally receive sentences below the combined maximum penalties set for each charge.
Denis Obrezko and the Void Blizzard charges
In June, Thailand extradited 36-year-old Denis Obrezko to the United States to stand trial in Boston. US authorities accuse Obrezko of supporting a hacking group called Void Blizzard, which Microsoft has identified as being linked to Russian interests.
Microsoft said the group, which it said had been active since at least April 2024, targeted government institutions, defense and transportation companies, media organizations, healthcare providers and civil society organizations in NATO countries and Ukraine. The FBI determined that 11 companies in the United States were affected by the attacks.
Investigators said they found summaries of more than 13,000 stolen emails belonging to lawmakers in a country in Eastern Europe on Obrezko’s phone. Obrezko was also allegedly linked to payments for a virtual server and a domain name used in attacks against US companies.
Obrezko is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and gaining unauthorized access to protected computer systems. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
