Executive Summary
- A 35-year-old Russian national has been arrested in Phuket, Thailand, at the request of the United States for alleged cybercrimes.
- The suspect is linked by the FBI to the Fancy Bear hacking group and interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
- During the arrest, authorities seized electronics and cryptocurrency valued at approximately $432,000.
- Russian consular officials are demanding access to the detained citizen, who is currently being prepared for extradition to the U.S.
A 35-year-old Russian citizen, suspected by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation of conducting cyberattacks against American and European government institutions, has been detained in Phuket, Thailand. The arrest, part of a joint operation with the FBI on November 6, was made at the request of the United States, and the individual is being processed for extradition.
According to Thai Cyber Police, the suspect arrived in the country on October 30. During a search following the arrest, authorities seized laptops, mobile phones, and cryptocurrency wallets containing over 14 million baht, equivalent to approximately $432,000. Investigators believe the funds may be linked to cybercriminal activities. In response to the detention, Russia’s Consul General on Phuket, Yegor Ivanov, has stated that the Russian government is demanding consular access to the detained citizen.
While authorities have not officially released the suspect’s name, some sources indicate he is Alexey Lukashev, a 35-year-old native of the Murmansk region who is listed in an FBI database. The FBI has previously identified Lukashev as a senior lieutenant in Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency and linked him to the Fancy Bear hacking group, which is implicated in the interference of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the hacking of Democratic Party servers.
This arrest occurs amid ongoing international concerns about cyberattacks attributed to state-sponsored actors. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.