The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on Aeza Group, a Russian hosting service provider based in St. Petersburg.
Aeza has been providing services to ransomware groups, including the Meduza and Lumma operators, that have targeted U.S. defense companies and technology firms.
In addition to Aeza’s parent company, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has also imposed sanctions on several of its co-owners and managers, including:
- Arsenii Aleksandrovich Penzev, the CEO and 33% owner of Aeza;
- Yurii Meruzhanovich Bozoyan, former general director and 33% owner;
- Igor Anatolyevich Knyazev, 33% owner;
- Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Gast, technical director
These individuals are believed to have been involved in hosting ransomware and other illicit activities on behalf of Aeza. The sanctions aim to prevent them from accessing U.S.-based financial institutions and other assets.
The Aeza Group’s website states that they use data centers in Russia, Austria, the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Sweden (Stockholm).
In April 2025, the press service of the Moscow courts reported that Bozoyan and several employees of Aeza Group had been arrested. They were accused of creating a criminal organization, participating in it, and other crimes.
Prior to the arrest, Russian law enforcement officials conducted searches at the office of Aeza Group. Before that, this building was home to the PMC Wagner Center, a facility for IT specialists.
“The mission of the PMC Wagner Center is to create a comfortable environment to generate new ideas and increase Russia’s defensive capabilities, including information,” stated Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of PMC Wagner.
