Moscow Court arrests CEO of Aeza Group — the technical provider of the Kremlin's Doppelgänger bot net

The Meshchansky District Court of Moscow has placed Aeza Group CEO Yuri Bozoyan and two of its employees, Maxim Orel and Tatyana Zubova, in pre-trial detention. Researchers into Russia's Doppelgänger propaganda network, which spreads disinformation across Europe, believe that Aeza Group provides the technical infrastructure for the network.

Bozoyan, Orel, and Zubova were arrested on charges of participation in a criminal group and attempted trafficking of narcotic substances on a large scale. On Apr. 1, a search took place in the company's office on Zolnaya Street in St. Petersburg, where Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Center was formerly located.

Aeza provides hosting services and allows suspected cybercriminals to operate on its servers, finding customers primarily on the darknet. Researchers say the company likely services well-known malware infrastructures.

The Russian disinformation network Doppelgänger has been active in Europe since May 2022, promoting the Kremlin's interests and undermining unity among Russia's adversaries, including the United States and Western Europe. The network is known for spreading fake news through bogus news portals visually similar to credible media outlets including Der Spiegel and The Guardian. Doppelgänger registers dozens of legal entities in the UK in order to disguise its origins and legalize its propaganda infrastructure. Aeza International LTD is also registered in England.