Pictures courtesy of The Phuket News

 

Cyber police have arrested a man in Phuket, who it is now reported to be Russian GRU military intelligence officer Aleksey Lukashev, a suspect in several major global hacking campaigns. The 35-year-old foreign national was detained earlier this week following an operation involving Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the FBI. He has been charged under Thailand’s Extradition Act and is now awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States.

 

Authorities confirmed the arrest on 12 November after tracking the suspect from his arrival in Phuket on 30 October. Intelligence from the FBI enabled officers to locate him at a hotel in Thalang district. Phuket Immigration investigators monitored his movements before securing a Criminal Court search warrant for the raid.

 

Officers seized laptops, mobile phones and digital wallets from the hotel room, with FBI personnel observing the operation. The CCIB reported that the devices have been sent for forensic examination as part of the wider cybercrime investigation. Local Phuket agencies declined to issue public statements, maintaining strict confidentiality around the case.

 

Although Thai officials have not released the suspect’s name, international outlets including The Sun US and Russia-based The Insider have identified him as Lukashev, a senior lieutenant in GRU Unit 26165, also known as APT28 or “Fancy Bear.” The Phuket News reported that he has been linked to the 2016 hacking of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, phishing attacks targeting campaign chair John Podesta and cyber operations connected to the Skripal Novichok poisonings in the UK.

 

Lukashev remains on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and is subject to UK sanctions. The Insider noted that he is the only GRU operative of the age profile released by Thai authorities, reinforcing the likelihood of his identification. He is wanted in the US for charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, identity theft and money laundering.

 

The arrest coincides with Operation 293, a broader CCIB campaign recovering over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency from cybercrime networks. At least six Thai victims have been identified and the funds were returned with support from Bitkub and Tether. Officers described the Phuket arrest as a significant step in expanding Thai-US cooperation against transnational cyber threats.

 

The suspect remains in custody as extradition procedures progress. Further analysis of seized digital evidence is expected to develop the case and identify other actors linked to the global hacking operations.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Cyber police arrested a man believed to be GRU officer Aleksey Lukashev, wanted for major international hacking operations.

• The suspect was tracked to a Phuket hotel, where officers seized electronic devices and opened extradition proceedings.

• The arrest forms part of a wider Thai cybercrime operation that recovered over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency.

 

Original Story

 

FBI-Thai-police-recover-cryptocurrency-from-European-hacker

 

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from TheThaiger 2025-11-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well done chaps - against the wall in the morning 

Looks like a replay of the Victor Bout drama might be in the making, if Russia objects his extradition and demands that Thailand sends him back home instead. 

Pretty sure it will be dealt with quietly, a deal will be done and he will be sent to a 'nuetral' country and thence to Russia

14 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Looks like a replay of the Victor Bout drama might be in the making, if Russia objects his extradition and demands that Thailand sends him back home instead. 

Speaking of Victor Bout... What's he been doing since he went back to Russia?

Bravo for this good job 

On 11/14/2025 at 1:20 PM, JoePai said:

Well done chaps - against the wall in the morning 

Worth more alive for the information he has.

I wouldn't be a westerner in Russia right now for fear of getting snatched as a bargaining chìp

10 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

Pretty sure it will be dealt with quietly, a deal will be done and he will be sent to a 'nuetral' country and thence to Russia

Nah, this was FBI, the US wants him and they will get him. Thailand wants better relations with the US, so there ya go. This type of cybercrime is dealt with very seriously by US courts. The only possible deal would be a prisoner swap US to Russia. And that’s only if Russia wants him back, and they may not. 

2 minutes ago, keeffy48 said:

Worth more alive for the information he has.

I wouldn't be a westerner in Russia right now for fear of getting snatched as a bargaining chìp

Yes. Although I think they already have some Americans to swap. 

Putin's lapdog will just let him go.

14 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Nah, this was FBI, the US wants him and they will get him. Thailand wants better relations with the US, so there ya go. This type of cybercrime is dealt with very seriously by US courts. The only possible deal would be a prisoner swap US to Russia. And that’s only if Russia wants him back, and they may not. 

I'm sure they want him back. Putin would not want such a person to be in the hands of the USA. If Putin can't get him back he will kill him if he has an opportunity.

“Intelligence from the FBI enabled officers to locate him at a hotel in Thalang district.”

 

Why was intelligence from the FBI needed? Surely he completed his TDAC online declaration stating his address?

 

Please don’t say that he must have given a false address. It would mean that criminals have worked out a way to circumvent Thailands ingenius system that tracks all foreigners.

38 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

Pretty sure it will be dealt with quietly, a deal will be done and he will be sent to a 'nuetral' country and thence to Russia

 

Especially, with Trump Administration in the Office. Trump doesn't want a big noise in the media. This is in his best interest to hand this guy over to Russia.

They say you can't judge a book by it's cover. I think we have found the exception. Looking at the photo he comes across as a nasty piece of work. I bet the 14 million baht he stole from the crypto accounts was for personal gain and nothing to do with his job. 

On 11/14/2025 at 6:20 AM, JoePai said:

Well done chaps - against the wall in the morning 

Yeah, may he rot in hell with Putin as a cellmate..

On 11/14/2025 at 12:20 PM, JoePai said:

Well done chaps - against the wall in the morning 

Why wait

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Nah, this was FBI, the US wants him and they will get him. Thailand wants better relations with the US, so there ya go. This type of cybercrime is dealt with very seriously by US courts. The only possible deal would be a prisoner swap US to Russia. And that’s only if Russia wants him back, and they may not. 

There's more to this story.  He's on the FBI's most wanted list and flies to a country that has facial recognition and fingerprinting on arrival, and who is friendly to The US.  Really?  

 

If I was Edward Snowden I would be concerned.  He may be the one The US is really after in this deal.

 

Then again, he may be trying to defect, and this is just his cover.  He could end up working for The US government.  If that's the case, he will be under heavy surveillance so when Putin sends his assassins for him, they will grab them as well.  

The Fancy Bear group have their fingers in many pies. They hacked in the WADA system and realised lots of confidential information about Rio Olympic 2016 athletes. They stuck in my memory because they exposed Bradley Wiggins medication and use of TUEs, which got a lot of UK press coverage.

Back in the day spies were executed, that would seem like a fitting punishment for this guy, and I would encourage it to be done within the next 30 days, perhaps even without a trial. Easier. Simpler. 

2 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Especially, with Trump Administration in the Office. Trump doesn't want a big noise in the media. This is in his best interest to hand this guy over to Russia.

 

How did you come up with this brilliant assumption?

Why would it be to Trump's "best interest" to hand him over to Russia?

Are you one of those leftys who still can't admit that there was never any Russian collusion beyond Hillary's dirty tricks political attack?  

If this guy is who the Thais & FBI says he is, a lot can be learned about Russian hacking of American Presidential campaigns.  -Not that it was really hard since Hillary's campaign manager & former White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta's email password was "password".

On 11/14/2025 at 6:11 AM, Georgealbert said:

 

Pictures courtesy of The Phuket News

 

Cyber police have arrested a man in Phuket, who it is now reported to be Russian GRU military intelligence officer Aleksey Lukashev, a suspect in several major global hacking campaigns. The 35-year-old foreign national was detained earlier this week following an operation involving Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the FBI. He has been charged under Thailand’s Extradition Act and is now awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States.

 

Authorities confirmed the arrest on 12 November after tracking the suspect from his arrival in Phuket on 30 October. Intelligence from the FBI enabled officers to locate him at a hotel in Thalang district. Phuket Immigration investigators monitored his movements before securing a Criminal Court search warrant for the raid.

 

Officers seized laptops, mobile phones and digital wallets from the hotel room, with FBI personnel observing the operation. The CCIB reported that the devices have been sent for forensic examination as part of the wider cybercrime investigation. Local Phuket agencies declined to issue public statements, maintaining strict confidentiality around the case.

 

Although Thai officials have not released the suspect’s name, international outlets including The Sun US and Russia-based The Insider have identified him as Lukashev, a senior lieutenant in GRU Unit 26165, also known as APT28 or “Fancy Bear.” The Phuket News reported that he has been linked to the 2016 hacking of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, phishing attacks targeting campaign chair John Podesta and cyber operations connected to the Skripal Novichok poisonings in the UK.

 

Lukashev remains on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and is subject to UK sanctions. The Insider noted that he is the only GRU operative of the age profile released by Thai authorities, reinforcing the likelihood of his identification. He is wanted in the US for charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, identity theft and money laundering.

 

The arrest coincides with Operation 293, a broader CCIB campaign recovering over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency from cybercrime networks. At least six Thai victims have been identified and the funds were returned with support from Bitkub and Tether. Officers described the Phuket arrest as a significant step in expanding Thai-US cooperation against transnational cyber threats.

 

The suspect remains in custody as extradition procedures progress. Further analysis of seized digital evidence is expected to develop the case and identify other actors linked to the global hacking operations.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Cyber police arrested a man believed to be GRU officer Aleksey Lukashev, wanted for major international hacking operations.

• The suspect was tracked to a Phuket hotel, where officers seized electronic devices and opened extradition proceedings.

• The arrest forms part of a wider Thai cybercrime operation that recovered over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency.

 

Original Story

 

FBI-Thai-police-recover-cryptocurrency-from-European-hacker

 

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from TheThaiger 2025-11-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how many other 'Lukashevs' will there be under the huge Russian inflow on the island and other places in Thailand ?

 

Lukashev should just say he has pictures of Trump at Epstein's island parties and he'll be back in Moscow the next day.

5 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Especially, with Trump Administration in the Office. Trump doesn't want a big noise in the media. This is in his best interest to hand this guy over to Russia.

Trump loves big noise in the media. He thrives on it. 🙈

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Why wait

It’s dark.They might miss.

What about all those fine ukrainians in Thailand buying up and paying their villas in cash ?

On 11/14/2025 at 12:11 PM, Georgealbert said:

 

Pictures courtesy of The Phuket News

 

Cyber police have arrested a man in Phuket, who it is now reported to be Russian GRU military intelligence officer Aleksey Lukashev, a suspect in several major global hacking campaigns. The 35-year-old foreign national was detained earlier this week following an operation involving Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the FBI. He has been charged under Thailand’s Extradition Act and is now awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States.

 

Authorities confirmed the arrest on 12 November after tracking the suspect from his arrival in Phuket on 30 October. Intelligence from the FBI enabled officers to locate him at a hotel in Thalang district. Phuket Immigration investigators monitored his movements before securing a Criminal Court search warrant for the raid.

 

Officers seized laptops, mobile phones and digital wallets from the hotel room, with FBI personnel observing the operation. The CCIB reported that the devices have been sent for forensic examination as part of the wider cybercrime investigation. Local Phuket agencies declined to issue public statements, maintaining strict confidentiality around the case.

 

Although Thai officials have not released the suspect’s name, international outlets including The Sun US and Russia-based The Insider have identified him as Lukashev, a senior lieutenant in GRU Unit 26165, also known as APT28 or “Fancy Bear.” The Phuket News reported that he has been linked to the 2016 hacking of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, phishing attacks targeting campaign chair John Podesta and cyber operations connected to the Skripal Novichok poisonings in the UK.

 

Lukashev remains on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and is subject to UK sanctions. The Insider noted that he is the only GRU operative of the age profile released by Thai authorities, reinforcing the likelihood of his identification. He is wanted in the US for charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, identity theft and money laundering.

 

The arrest coincides with Operation 293, a broader CCIB campaign recovering over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency from cybercrime networks. At least six Thai victims have been identified and the funds were returned with support from Bitkub and Tether. Officers described the Phuket arrest as a significant step in expanding Thai-US cooperation against transnational cyber threats.

 

The suspect remains in custody as extradition procedures progress. Further analysis of seized digital evidence is expected to develop the case and identify other actors linked to the global hacking operations.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Cyber police arrested a man believed to be GRU officer Aleksey Lukashev, wanted for major international hacking operations.

• The suspect was tracked to a Phuket hotel, where officers seized electronic devices and opened extradition proceedings.

• The arrest forms part of a wider Thai cybercrime operation that recovered over 14 million baht in stolen cryptocurrency.

 

Original Story

 

FBI-Thai-police-recover-cryptocurrency-from-European-hacker

 

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from TheThaiger 2025-11-14

 

 

 

Every country has spies, would the 'put him against the wall and shoot him', type of comment be said on this blog if he was an American, Brit, German, French etc?

 

 

On 11/14/2025 at 12:11 PM, Georgealbert said:

 

 

 

On 11/15/2025 at 12:56 AM, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Especially, with Trump Administration in the Office. Trump doesn't want a big noise in the media. This is in his best interest to hand this guy over to Russia.

I have already read on the internet that isn't true about Trump.

On 11/15/2025 at 12:37 AM, shdmn said:

Putin's lapdog will just let him go.

Sorry, biden is already out of office, so he can't let him go. 

I bet he did not think he would get caught with so many russians always in phuket

I wonder how many Chinese spies are in Thailand.