Russia’s and Ukraine’s nationals detained in Georgia over alleged $390 million laundering through crypto service AudiA6

Law enforcement in Georgia detained two men suspected of running AudiA6, a crypto platform that authorities say helped obscure the origin of digital assets and launder 10,333 bitcoins worth $390 million. For high-risk PSPs, the interesting part is not the headline number but the mechanism: the case mixes on-chain laundering, cash-out infrastructure, and a parallel forum used to find criminal clients.

1. The arrests took place on 10 June in Adjara, Georgia, during a joint operation involving Georgian police and prosecutors, the U.S. Secret Service, Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime, and Interpol’s European branch.
2. About 100 investigators and operatives searched the suspects’ homes and offices, seized electronic devices and documents, and froze bank accounts, 173 vehicles, and real estate. Investigators say that property may have been bought with proceeds of crime.
3. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the detainees as Russian citizen Alexander Ledenev and Ukrainian citizen Ruslan Tkachuk. American authorities say they were the creators and main operators of AudiA6.
4. According to the investigation, AudiA6 had been providing services to cybercriminals since 2021, helping hide the source of digital assets and make transactions harder to trace. At least 393 BTC, worth more than $19 million, allegedly came directly from addresses linked to darknet markets, hacker groups, and ransomware operations.
5. The rest of the funds, investigators say, moved through a network of intermediary crypto wallets designed to break the trail. Prosecutors also say Ledenev and Tkachuk ran the Dark2Web forum, which was used to advertise illegal services and find customers among cybercriminals from different countries.

The case moved forward after a September 2025 arrest in Poland of a Ukrainian citizen accused of helping AudiA6 cash out funds. Analysis of devices seized from that suspect reportedly led investigators to Ledenev and Tkachuk in Batumi.

In the U.S., both men were charged with conspiracy to launder money and the government requested extradition. Under U.S. law, they face up to 20 years in prison; in Georgia, the relevant charges carry 9 to 12 years.

This is also a reminder that crypto laundering cases rarely stay “crypto-only” for long. Once investigators start seizing accounts, vehicles, and real estate, the question for PSPs becomes whether they are looking at a wallet problem, a cash-out problem, or a full-stack criminal service with both.