On 11 February 2025, we saw the first public multi-jurisdictional coordinated sanctions action under the Trump Administration when the United States, Australia, and the UK announced joint sanctions against alleged key members of a Russian cybercrime supply chain.
This action was taken by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (“UK FCDO”). See the US press release here, Australia press release here, and UK press release here.
Designation of Zservers
OFAC, the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the UK FCDO jointly designated Zservers, a Russia-based bulletproof hosting services provider, for its role in providing technical infrastructure that facilitates global ransomware attacks.
In addition, the UK FCDO sanctioned six Zservers employees and Zservers’ UK front company, XHOST Internet Solutions LP; OFAC sanctioned two Zservers employees; and Australia sanctioned five individuals affiliated with Zservers.
Further Coordinated Actions
This joint effort builds on previous coordination related to international cybercrime, including joint action taken by the US, UK, and Australia against cybercriminals connected to Russian ransomware group EvilCorp and Lockbit on 1 October 2024. These actions also follow recent broader acts of coordination to bolster compliance and enforcement of export controls and sanctions frameworks, particularly in connection with the Russia sanctions.
Notwithstanding the significant shift in US administration, this coordinated effort signals a willingness to continue steps towards multilateral sanctions enforcement in high-priority areas.
If you have questions regarding this development or how the US, Australian, or UK sanctions regimes may impact your business, please reach out to a member of our US, Australian or UK teams listed below.
