The UK, US and Australia have joined forces to implement sanctions against Media Land, a Russian cyber-crime group.

The government said that Media Land is one of the most significant operators of so-called “bulletproof” hosting services, which provide online infrastructure that enables cyber criminals to engage in illegal activity, including ransomware and phishing attacks.

Cyber criminals hiding behind Media Land’s services are responsible for ransomware attacks against the UK’s critical national infrastructure, including those in the telecommunications sector, as well as malware and phishing campaigns targeting UK taxpayers.

The measures will directly target Media Land’s leader Alexander Volosovik, known as Yalishanda, who the government estimates has been active in the cyber underground since at least 2010, and has worked with a number of cyber criminal groups, including Evil Corp, LockBit and Black Basta.

Sanctions imposed by the UK include the freezing of assets, travel bans and disqualification orders.

The government estimates that cyber-attacks cost British businesses £14.7 billion in 2024, or 0.5 per cent of GDP.

The government said the harm caused by “bulletproof” hosting services like Media Land extends beyond enabling cyber-attacks against businesses, as their services provide cover for those carrying out a wide range of malicious activity.

Aeza Group LLC, also sanctioned today, has provided “bulletproof” services to support the work of the Social Design Agency, a Russian disinformation agency sanctioned by the UK in 2024 for its attempts to destabilise Ukraine and undermine democracies around the world.

The government said the sanctions it has imposed demonstrates its commitment to crack down on organisations that enable Russia’s information war.

“Cyber criminals think that they can act in the shadows, targeting hard working British people and ruining livelihoods with impunity,” said foreign secretary Yvette Cooper. “But they are mistaken – together with our allies, we are exposing their dark networks and going after those responsible.”

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