In Surgut, 'Money Launderers' Laundered Nearly ₽100 Million Through Cryptocurrency

RBK-cryptoPublished on 2025-12-10Last updated on 2025-12-10

Abstract

In Surgut, Russia, enforcement authorities have dismantled an organized criminal group that laundered nearly 100 million rubles using cryptocurrency. The group specialized in the illegal circulation of payment means, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The criminals purchased bank cards from individuals to gain access to their accounts, which were then used to collect illicitly obtained funds. The group subsequently cashed out the money, converted it into cryptocurrency, and transferred it to their "curators," charging a commission of 3-15% for their services. According to data from a cryptocurrency exchange, the transaction volume involving the suspects exceeded 94 million rubles. The purchased bank cards were also used for remote thefts across Russia. Three members of the group have been detained, with another placed under travel restrictions. A criminal case has been initiated under the relevant article of the Russian Criminal Code. The Bank of Russia plans to enhance monitoring of the crypto market and strengthen measures against fraud, including the launch of the "Antidrop" system by mid-2027. This system will provide banks with information on "drops" – individuals whose bank details are used for shadow transactions. As part of this effort, banks will be required to link Russian citizens' accounts to their tax identification numbers (INN).

In Surgut, the activities of an organized group that laundered nearly ₽100 million through cryptocurrency have been stopped. The criminals specialized in the illegal circulation of payment means, said Irina Volk, the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Group members bought bank cards from citizens, gaining access to their accounts. According to police, the accomplices collected funds obtained through criminal means in these accounts.

The group then cashed out the money, converted it into cryptocurrency, and transferred it to their 'curators'. For their work, the 'money launderers' took a commission of 3-15%.

"According to data from one of the crypto exchanges, the turnover of funds from the cryptocurrency buy/sell transactions conducted by the individuals involved exceeded ₽94 million," the statement said.

It was also established that the criminals used the purchased bank cards for remote thefts within Russia. Three group members have been remanded in custody, and another has been placed under a travel restriction order. A criminal case has been initiated under Part 5 of Article 187 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal circulation of payment means).

The Bank of Russia intends to enhance monitoring of the crypto market and tighten the fight against fraudsters, according to the strategy for the development of the Russian financial market for 2026–2028. In mid-2027, the 'Antidrop' system is planned to be launched, which will allow banks to receive information about so-called 'drops' (droppers) — individuals whose details are used in shadow settlements. This week it became known that to implement this program, the Central Bank will require banks to link the accounts of Russians to their Taxpayer Identification Number (INN).

Trump Memecoin to be used in a mobile game about billionaires

Bitcoin updates high since mid-November. What about other cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin at $100k by the end of the year. What are the chances

Related Questions

QWhat was the main criminal activity of the organized group in Surgut?

AThe organized group was engaged in money laundering, specializing in the illicit circulation of payment means by converting criminal proceeds into cryptocurrency.

QHow much money did the group launder through cryptocurrency according to the investigation?

AThe group laundered nearly 100 million rubles (₽100 million) through cryptocurrency, with the turnover from their transactions exceeding ₽94 million according to one crypto exchange.

QWhat method did the criminals use to gain access to funds?

AThey purchased bank cards from citizens, gaining access to their accounts, which were used to collect funds obtained through criminal means.

QWhat is the 'Antidrop' system mentioned in the article and what is its purpose?

AThe 'Antidrop' system is a planned monitoring system set to launch in mid-2027. It will allow banks to obtain information on 'drops' or 'droppers'—individuals whose payment details are used in shadow transactions—to combat financial fraud.

QWhat criminal charges were filed against the members of the group?

AA criminal case was initiated under Part 5 of Article 187 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to the illicit circulation of payment means. Three members were taken into custody, and another was placed under a travel restriction order.

Related Reads

OpenAI Post-Training Engineer Weng Jiayi Proposes a New Paradigm Hypothesis for Agentic AI

OpenAI engineer Weng Jiayi's "Heuristic Learning" experiments propose a new paradigm for Agentic AI, suggesting that intelligent agents can improve not just by training neural networks, but also by autonomously writing and refining code based on environmental feedback. In the experiment, a coding agent (powered by Codex) was tasked with developing and maintaining a programmatic strategy for the Atari game Breakout. Starting from a basic prompt, the agent iteratively wrote code, ran the game, analyzed logs and video replays to identify failures, and then modified the code. Through this engineering loop of "code-run-debug-update," it evolved a pure Python heuristic strategy that achieved a perfect score of 864 in Breakout and performed competitively with deep reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms in MuJoCo control tasks like Ant and HalfCheetah. This approach, termed Heuristic Learning (HL), contrasts with Deep RL. In HL, experience is captured in readable, modifiable code, tests, logs, and configurations—a software system—rather than being encoded solely into opaque neural network weights. This offers potential advantages in explainability, auditability for safety-critical applications, easier integration of regression tests to combat catastrophic forgetting, and more efficient sample use in early learning stages, as demonstrated in broader tests on 57 Atari games. However, the blog acknowledges clear limitations. Programmatic strategies struggle with tasks requiring long-horizon planning or complex perception (e.g., Montezuma's Revenge), areas where neural networks excel. The future vision is a hybrid architecture: specialized neural networks for fast perception (System 1), HL systems for rules, safety, and local recovery (also System 1), and LLM agents providing high-level feedback and learning from the HL system's data (System 2). The core proposition is that in the era of capable coding agents, a significant portion of an AI's learned experience could be maintained as an auditable, evolving software system.

marsbit30m ago

OpenAI Post-Training Engineer Weng Jiayi Proposes a New Paradigm Hypothesis for Agentic AI

marsbit30m ago

Your Claude Will Dream Tonight, Don't Disturb It

This article explores the recent phenomenon of AI companies increasingly using anthropomorphic language—like "thinking," "memory," "hallucination," and now "dreaming"—to describe machine learning processes. Focusing on Anthropic's newly announced "Dreaming" feature for its Claude Agent platform, the piece explains that this function is essentially an automated, offline batch processing of an agent's operational logs. It analyzes past task sessions to identify patterns, optimize future actions, and consolidate learnings into a persistent memory system, akin to a form of reinforcement learning and self-correction. The article draws parallels to similar features in other AI agent systems like Hermes Agent and OpenClaw, which also implement mechanisms for reviewing historical data, extracting reusable "skills," and strengthening long-term memory. It notes a key difference from human dreaming: these AI "dreams" still consume computational resources and user tokens. Further context is provided by discussing the technical challenges of managing AI "memory" or context, highlighting the computational expense of large context windows and innovations like Subquadratic's new model claiming drastically longer contexts. The core critique argues that this strategic use of human-centric vocabulary does more than market products; it subtly reshapes user perception. By framing algorithms with terms associated with consciousness, companies blur the line between tool and autonomous entity. This linguistic shift can influence user expectations, tolerance for errors, and even perceptions of responsibility when systems fail, potentially diverting scrutiny from the companies and engineers behind the technology. The article concludes by speculating that terms like "daydreaming" for predictive task simulation might be next, continuing this trend of embedding the idea of an "inner life" into computational processes.

marsbit32m ago

Your Claude Will Dream Tonight, Don't Disturb It

marsbit32m ago

Duan Yongping's Bottom-Fishing in CoreWeave Is Turning into a Battleground for Bulls and Bears

CoreWeave's Q1 2026 earnings report has intensified the ongoing bull-bear battle over the AI infrastructure stock. While revenue doubled year-over-year to $2.08B and the firm's remaining performance obligation (RPO) surged to nearly $100B, its net loss more than doubled to $740M. The critical point of contention is profitability: while adjusted EBITDA margin was a robust 56%, the adjusted operating margin collapsed to just 1% due to soaring infrastructure and sales costs. A weaker-than-expected Q2 revenue guidance further triggered an 11.4% single-day stock drop. The bull thesis hinges on CoreWeave's massive order backlog, deep strategic ties with NVIDIA (as a customer, investor, and key supplier), and a diversified client base now including Anthropic and Meta. The bear case focuses on the "scale at all costs" model, where expanding revenue leads to wider losses, ballooning debt ($25B), and massive capital expenditures ($6.8B in Q1). Insider selling by executives contrasts with a notable new investor: Chinese investor Duan Yongping initiated a small position (0.12% of his portfolio) in Q4 2025 near the stock's lows. The coming Q2 report is seen as a key test for management's promise of a profit margin recovery.

marsbit38m ago

Duan Yongping's Bottom-Fishing in CoreWeave Is Turning into a Battleground for Bulls and Bears

marsbit38m ago

China's Version of 'Tech Burning Man' Debuts in Shanghai, muShanghai Creates a Global Geek 'Pop-up City'

From May 10 to June 6, 2026, the inaugural muShanghai "Pop-up City" experiment, dubbed China's version of a "tech Burning Man," launched in Shanghai. Co-organized by the international open-source community The Mu and the Hongqiao Alibaba Center, this 28-day event aimed to build a global "parallel city" for geeks, attracting over 800 participants from more than 50 countries, including former OpenAI engineers and startup founders. The program featured four themed weeks: AI Week, Biotech Week, Robotics Week, and Culture Week, hosting nearly 100 sessions like ClawCon 2026. Activities ranged from discussions on AI safety and consumer apps to robot battles and cyberpunk culture, culminating in large outdoor "Innovator Marketplaces." A core principle was "Build in Public," encouraging open sharing of projects and progress. Hongqiao Alibaba Center served as the co-host and primary venue, positioning itself as a first-stop hub for international talent in China. The event marks a significant step for The Mu community, which has previously organized similar pop-up cities in Argentina and San Francisco, in bringing its model of immersive, collaborative innovation to China. It aims to be a key window for global科创 (scientific and technological innovation) exchange.

marsbit38m ago

China's Version of 'Tech Burning Man' Debuts in Shanghai, muShanghai Creates a Global Geek 'Pop-up City'

marsbit38m ago

CLARITY Act: Banking Trade Groups Push For Yield Agreement Revision – Details

US banking trade groups are urging revisions to the stablecoin yield compromise in the upcoming CLARITY Act ahead of a key committee markup. The Act currently aims to ban all passive, deposit-like interest on stablecoins to prevent competition with traditional bank savings, while allowing rewards tied to active uses like staking or transactions. In a letter, groups including the American Banking Association and Bank Policy Institute proposed stricter language to eliminate perceived loopholes for passive yield and prevent deposit flight from banks. However, these efforts are reportedly viewed as minor by some lawmakers. The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on May 14, a critical step before it can advance through Congress.

bitcoinist14h ago

CLARITY Act: Banking Trade Groups Push For Yield Agreement Revision – Details

bitcoinist14h ago

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片