Kaliningrad Court to Hear Case of Russian Linked to LockBit and Hive Ransomware

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office of Kaliningrad have announced that the case of a 32-year-old local resident, accused of creating malicious software, has been sent to court. According to investigators, in January of this year, the accused developed specialized malware “designed to encrypt files and data without the knowledge or consent of computer equipment users.” The prosecutor’s office reports that he planned to use this malware “to encrypt data belonging to commercial organizations, and then demand ransom for decryption.”

The charges were brought under Article 273, Part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code: “Creation of a computer program knowingly intended for unauthorized destruction, blocking, modification, copying of computer information, or neutralization of computer information protection means.”

“At present, the investigator has gathered sufficient evidence, and the criminal case, with an indictment signed by the prosecutor, has been sent to the Central District Court of Kaliningrad for substantive review,” reads the official statement from the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to RIA Novosti, the individual in question is Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev (also known as Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin, and Uhodiransomwar).

Matveev is believed to be involved in deploying the LockBit, Babuk, and Hive ransomware in the networks of organizations in the United States and beyond. In 2023, U.S. authorities brought charges against Matveev, including conspiracy to transmit ransom demands, conspiracy to damage protected computers, and intentional damage to protected computers.

At the same time, Matveev was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly conducting cyberattacks on American organizations, including U.S. critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and law enforcement agencies.

As a result, in 2023, the U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Matveev.

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