Moscow Diplomats Meet Russian, Detained In United States On Cybercrime Charges

The Russian embassy in the US announced on Tuesday that Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian national who is being held in Ohio pending trial on allegations of cybercrime, had his first meeting with diplomatic staff.

The Justice Department declared Dunaev to be a part of a cybercriminal group that used the ‘Trickbot’ banking trojan and ransomware suite after his 2021 extradition from South Korea to Ohio.

“The compatriot does not consider himself guilty”, said Nadezhda Shumova, the head of the embassy’s consular office.

“He has no intention of entering into an agreement with the prosecutor’s office. Will fight for justice till the bitter end”, she continued.

According to Shumova, this was Dunaev’s first in-person encounter with embassy personnel.

Dunaev’s indictment claims that from November 2015 to August 2020, he and others stole money, confidential information, and damaged computer systems from unsuspecting victims, including individuals, financial institutions, school districts, utility companies, government entities, and private businesses.

He has been charged with computer fraud and aggravated identity theft conspiracy, wire and bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and several counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Dunaev faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in jail if convicted on all counts.

Shumova stated that Dunaev has health problems and that his vision has deteriorated. She went on to say that the embassy sent a demarche to the State Department demanding that he be provided with qualified medical care on Monday.

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