US Cracks Down: OFAC Sanctions Crypto Wallets Linked to Russia’s Notorious Aeza Group

Washington turns up the heat on Russian cybercrime—by targeting digital wallets tied to Aeza Group's bulletproof hosting empire.

Crypto meets sanctions hammer

The Treasury Department just froze assets in a network of cryptocurrency wallets allegedly facilitating payments for Aeza's shady infrastructure. No dollar amounts disclosed—but given Aeza's clientele, we're guessing it's not just pocket change.

Why this matters

Bulletproof hosting providers like Aeza are the back-alley garages of cybercrime. By cutting off crypto payment channels, OFAC aims to starve the beast. Will it work? Ask the Bitcoin wallets still funding ransomware gangs.

Finance world shrugs

Meanwhile, Wall Street barely blinked—after all, what's another crypto crackdown between friends? Just don't mention the $2B in illicit transactions still flowing through DeFi protocols this quarter.

OFAC targets crypto wallets

Beyond infrastructure, OFAC has also been focused on dismantling crypto-based cybercrime financing. In April, the agency sanctioned eight crypto addresses used by Yemen’s Houthi movement to fund arms procurement and terrorist activities. On-chain data showed over $45 million moved through Garantex in connection with these operations.

Similarly, in March, OFAC blacklisted 49 crypto wallets tied to Nemesis, a darknet marketplace operated by Iranian national Behrouz Parsarad. The site was involved in trafficking fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, processing nearly $30 million in sales using Bitcoin and Monero before its seizure in 2024.