Russia arrests CEO of tech company linked to Doppelgänger disinformation campaign
The chief executive of Russian tech company Aeza Group has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of leading a criminal organization and involvement in large-scale drug trafficking.
Yuri Bozoyan, who heads the St. Petersburg-based hosting provider, was placed in pretrial detention. Two other Aeza employees, Maxim Orel and Tatyana Zubova, were also detained on similar charges. The company is believed by cybersecurity researchers to have links to state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, as well as the country’s cybercriminal infrastructure.
The trio faces accusations of participating in a criminal group and attempting to traffic narcotics, according to Russian court documents. Last week, local law enforcement raided Aeza’s St. Petersburg office, which is located in a building formerly used by enterprises associated with the late paramilitary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose media empire was best known for operating “troll farms.”
Founded in 2021, Aeza offers server rental and hosting services. Bozoyan reportedly joined the company in 2023.
Cybersecurity researchers have previously linked Aeza to the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign known as Doppelgänger, which has been active in Europe since at least 2022. The network has published fake articles mimicking the websites of major Western media outlets, including Germany’s Der Spiegel and Britain’s The Guardian, in an effort to amplify Russian narratives and sow division in the West.
Researchers also allege that Aeza has hosted cybercriminal infrastructure, including servers used by operators behind malware strains such as Lumma and Meduza. The company is believed to attract clients through darknet forums and operates similarly to so-called “bulletproof” hosting providers that shield illicit activity from law enforcement.
According to Russian media reports, Bozoyan and fellow Aeza cofounder Arseny Penzev are also suspected of using Aeza to host the online drug marketplace BlackSprut. Authorities reportedly dismantled part of their operation in February after an undercover police officer purchased over four grams of mephedrone on the darknet.
BlackSprut is one of several prominent dark web drug platforms operating in Eastern Europe, alongside OMG, Kraken, and Mega.
Neither Bozoyan nor Aeza Group have publicly commented on the charges.
Daryna Antoniuk
is a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine. She writes about cybersecurity startups, cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia. She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted, The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Post.