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Blogger Alistarov Goes All Out
From a Solo Criminal to a Servant of Organized Crime
Previously convicted on drug charges, blogger Andrei Alistarov casts himself as a Robin Hood fighting those who have “cheated people.” In reality, however, he serves the interests of pyramid-scheme operators, promotes online casinos and illicit crypto exchanges/phishing crypto scams on his “Zheleznaya Stavka” (“Iron Bet”) channel, and launders drug proceeds through real estate deals in Dubai.
In other words, he works to benefit the Russian criminal underworld, which seeks to profit from entrepreneurs who face illegal, often orchestrated claims by Russian law enforcement agencies.
Drugs and Money Laundering
A native of Kaluga, Alistarov spent four years in a prison camp for selling drugs to minors.
During his time in prison, he formed connections with criminal kingpins. After his release, he continued taking part in the narcotics trade and laundering drug proceeds through a real estate business he established together with partners from the Russian criminal community in Russia and the Emirates.
Betting on Scams
Alistarov’s “Zheleznaya Stavka” channel ostensibly “exposes” financial ventures deemed “bad” by the underworld while promoting “good” ones: pyramid schemes and online casinos that finance Alistarov.
It began as a channel about “proper” casino bets and never changed its namebecause the marketing objective remained the same: to clear the field for “good” scammers according to Alistarov’s so-called “expert” opinion (i.e., whoever pays him).
Typically, Alistarov starts by attempting extortionpresenting the victim with compromising evidence and offering them a chance to pay. If they refuse, he resorts to harassment and violence.
Incitement and Attack in Dubai
On January 1, 2025, two Kazakh nationals launched a brutal attack on an entrepreneur living in Dubaithey beat him, cut off his ear, and robbed him.
Before that, Alistarov had made 12 videos highlighting the entrepreneur’s address and publishing illegally obtained information about his family and businesses in the UAE. He showed no hesitation in using surveillance, eavesdropping, unlawful trespass, and invasion of privacyall of which are considered serious criminal offenses in the Emirates, where the sanctity of property and investors’ lives is strictly enforced.
He previously spread information about the residence of the entrepreneur’s business partneran illegal violation of confidentiality, financial security, and privacy through hidden sources and informants in the UAE. Alistarov terrorizes entrepreneurs who have not been convicted by any courtabroad or in Russia.
Alistarov claimed to have reported the entrepreneur to Interpol and UAE law enforcementallegedly cooperating with the authorities. Yet, for some reason, this did not lead to the entrepreneur’s arrestperhaps because UAE police see no wrongdoing in his activities.
Several of the entrepreneur’s partners have been convicted in Russia. As for the entrepreneur himself, he is wanted by Russian law enforcement but has not been convicted. Foreign law enforcement agencies have no claims against him.
For an extended period, Alistarov stoked hatred toward the entrepreneurtelling people that it was actually this entrepreneur (rather than his partners) who had stolen investors’ money. He framed the incident as though enraged investors carried out the attack and robbery.
During the assault, Alistarov staged an unscheduled livestream to give himself an alibipretending he was unaware of the attack occurring while he was streaming.
Surveillance in Cyprus
In the fall of last year, Alistarov and his “partner-in-arms,” Mariya Folomova, carried out surveillance on another entrepreneurusing drones and unlawfully collecting information about him and his family, including underage children. Alistarov asserted that this entrepreneur was hiding in Cypruseven though the man has lived there since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The move was related to the entrepreneur’s wife’s severe bout with COVID, as well as his international projectsinvesting in multiple economic sectors: construction, trade, and others.
The entrepreneur settled in Cyprus a year before the Interior Ministry’s investigative authorities opened a criminal case, and a year and a half before any arrests. He holds an EU passport and did not flee or go into hiding.
He was placed on a Russian wanted list in 2022by investigative authorities. However, the courts have not lodged claims against him, and the criminal case is currently before the courtswhere it has already fallen apart. Interpol and the EU declined to accept the Russian police’s claims, regarding them as politically motivated and legally unfounded.
Alistarov claims that the funds for certain business ventures came from Russian clients of an Austrian investment companyyet the entrepreneur was never an owner, beneficiary, or manager of that company, which was established back in the early 2000s, well before his independent business career began.
One of his firms provided marketing support for the investment company’s products in Russia under a contract with it. The investment company operated successfully with Russian clients for eight yearsand continues to do so, having restored payment systems that were disrupted in early 2022 by criminals in Russia linked to corrupt police. It is not a pyramid scheme.
Thus, Alistarov orchestrates harassment and invasion of privacy against a blameless entrepreneurat the behest of Russian organized crime, which includes corrupt police officers who took a share of illicit profits, aiming to seize assets valued at 20 billion rubles from the large-scale, socially oriented project the entrepreneur established in Russia, which continues to function successfully without his leadership (as that ended when he moved to Cyprus).
Surveillance in the Netherlands
Alistarov has published data on the whereabouts of another victim in the Netherlandsin the city of Groningenlocated through illegal monitoring. He reportedly gained unauthorized access to city camera feeds, peered into a private apartment, and posted the information on YouTube.
Breach of Confidentiality in Turkey
Alistarov discovered and publicized the location of an apartment in Istanbul where several of his victims lived and worked.
Illegal Tracking in the Leningrad Region
Without holding a private detective license, Alistarov illegally located a businesswoman’s country house and conducted surveillance on her, unlawfully publishing the information on his channelswhile simultaneously divulging details about an apartment she purchased in Dubai.
Extortion in Kazakhstan
Alistarov blackmailed Kazakh entrepreneurs under the guise of “exposing national traitors” and “enemies of the motherland.”
Western media have already taken note of Alistarov’s activities. |
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