Russian Authorities Seize $8.2M in Crypto from Hydra Darknet Operator

Russian investigators have confiscated cryptocurrency worth approximately 649 million rubles ($8.2 million) from Dmitry Pavlov, the alleged server administrator behind the Hydra darknet marketplace. Court documents reveal the funds were frozen and seized from Pavlov’s crypto wallets.

Pavlov admitted to receiving payments in digital assets as "salary and bonuses" for maintaining Hydra’s infrastructure. Prosecutors stated he earned roughly 15 million rubles ($189,277) annually in crypto from the criminal operation, choosing to hold rather than liquidate his assets in anticipation of price appreciation.

The Hydra case culminated in December with 16 convictions, including a life sentence for mastermind Stanislav Moiseev. The platform facilitated over $5 billion in crypto transactions, according to Chainalysis data corroborated by Russian experts.