Denis Obrezko, 36, entered his plea during a virtual hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Boston on Thursday (July 9), according to a Reuters report published by the Bangkok Post today (July 10).
US prosecutors allege that Obrezko conspired to commit computer fraud as part of a cyber espionage operation known as ‘Void Blizzard’ or ‘Laundry Bear’, which allegedly targeted US and European companies, government agencies in NATO member states and organisations supporting Ukraine.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Obrezko was arrested in Phuket in November last year by officers from Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in a joint operation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Phuket Immigration and other Thai law enforcement agencies.
At the time of the arrest, Thai authorities did not publicly identify the suspect, and international media initially reported that the man was believed to be alleged Russian military intelligence officer Aleksey Lukashev.
However, Russian state media later confirmed that the suspect was in fact Obrezko, a 35-year-old from Stavropol accused of involvement with the ‘Void Blizzard’ cyber espionage group.
According to the CCIB, Obrezko arrived at Phuket International Airport on Oct 30, 2025, and was staying at a hotel in Thalang when he was arrested under Thailand’s Extradition Act following a request from US authorities.
Officers seized laptops, mobile phones and digital wallets during the operation, while FBI agents observed the search.
The US indictment alleges that Obrezko previously worked for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) between 2012 and 2017 before becoming deputy director of technology firm Yutek-NN, which prosecutors claim conducted cyber espionage operations on behalf of the Russian government.
Prosecutors allege that since at least 2023 Obrezko and associates used fake internet domains, VPNs and proxy servers to steal emails and other data from organisations in the United States and Europe.
Court documents also allege that his phone contained AI-generated summaries of more than 13,000 stolen emails from members of an Eastern European parliament.
Obrezko’s lawyer, Max Nemtsev, said he intends to “vigorously contest the charges on both factual and legal grounds”.
Following his arrest in Phuket, Obrezko remained in Thai custody while extradition proceedings were completed before being transferred to the United States last month.