U.S. authorities charged Ukrainian Ruslan Tkachuk and Russian Alexander Ledenev with operating the AudiA6 crypto laundering service, which processed over $389 million in Bitcoin since 2021. Arrested in Georgia following a multinational investigation, the pair face extradition and up to 20 years in prison. The operation also ran the Dark2Web cybercrime forum and was described by Europol as a trusted service for ransomware gangs.
AudiA6 operator arrests
- ▪The two men face charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and sting money laundering
- ▪If convicted, each man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
- ▪The U.S. Attorney's Office will seek the extradition of Tkachuk and Ledenev to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- ▪Tkachuk is a Ukrainian national and Ledenev is a Russian national
- ▪Ruslan Igorevich Tkachuk, 37, and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev, 25, were arrested in Batumi, Republic of Georgia, where they both reside
International law enforcement operation
- ▪The investigation included six undercover operations conducted by the FBI and Secret Service between December 2022 and May 2026
- ▪The arrests were part of a coordinated international takedown involving the U.S., Europol, and law enforcement from at least 10 other countries
- ▪The websites for the AudiA6 service and the Dark2Web forum were replaced with law enforcement seizure banners
- ▪Authorities searched three properties, froze cryptocurrency assets, blocked associated Telegram accounts, and seized digital devices
Dark2Web forum operations
- ▪The operators of AudiA6 also allegedly ran a cybercrime forum known as Dark2Web
- ▪On the Dark2Web forum, users could negotiate the commission of cybercrimes for pay
- ▪The AudiA6 service explicitly offered to conceal cryptocurrency linked to criminal activity on the Dark2Web forum
KuCoin laundering allegations
- ▪ZachXBT believes AudiA6 used KuCoin to launder funds stolen from Swissborg, LastPass users, a fake Ledger app, and the Bitcoin Depot
- ▪Blockchain investigator ZachXBT alleged that AudiA6 was one of the top users of the centralized crypto exchange KuCoin for laundering funds
- ▪Since 2021, the AudiA6 service accepted approximately 10,333 Bitcoin, valued at roughly $389.7 million at the time of the transactions
Bitcoin mixing service charges
- ▪Europol described the AudiA6 platform as the “most trusted by ransomware gangs and cybercriminal networks.”
- ▪Approximately 393 Bitcoin, valued at around $19.2 million, were traced directly to known darknet markets and ransomware groups
- ▪Despite promises of untraceable funds, investigators said blockchain analysis revealed the transactions could be followed through exchange records
- ▪The service charged clients a fee of up to 5% per transaction, earning at least $10 million in commissions
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