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Anti-Russian sanctions

United States adds two Russian citizens to sanctions list for cybercrimes

Inclusion on the sanctions list entails the freezing of assets in the United States and the prohibition of American citizens and companies from doing business with those involved

WASHINGTON, February 20. /TASS/. The US Treasury Department has added two Russian citizens - Ivan Kondratyev and Artur Sungatov - to the sanctions list for cybercrimes, according to a statement of the financial department.

Inclusion on the sanctions list entails the freezing of assets in the United States and the prohibition of American citizens and companies from doing business with those involved.

As the US authorities note, Kondratyev and Sungatov are allegedly "affiliates of the Russia-based ransomware group LockBit." According to the document, the US Treasury took action against the group together with the US Department of Justice and the FBI. As the US Treasury says, LockBit ransomware attacks "have targeted critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and financial institutions" of the US, its allies and partners.

Earlier Bloomberg reported that the UK National crime agency, the FBI and a number of other law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation during which they blocked the LockBit portal. As an FBI spokesman told Bloomberg, the operation, which involved 11 countries, also blocked 11,000 domain names used by the group to distribute malware. According to the US Department of Justice, more than 1,400 cyberattacks were carried out with the participation of LockBit in the US and around the world. The hackers demanded a total of more than $100 million from their victims and received at least tens of millions of dollars in Bitcoin.

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