Four REvil ransomware crooks walk free, escape gulag fate, after admitting guilt

Four convicted members of the once-supreme ransomware operation REvil are leaving captivity after completing most of their five-year sentences. The quartet were arrested in 2022 alongside four other alleged members, including the group's founder, who remain in Russia's custody. Andrey Bessonov, Mikhail Golovachuk, Roman …

[chuckamok]

I wonder how luxurious these penal conies are.

[tmTM]

They're mostly large recruitment facilities for meat to send to the front line in Ukraine now, so probably no where near as full as they used to be.

[Anonymous Coward]

@tmTM - Better that way

than snatching men on the street in front of their children to be sent untrained and ill-equipped so they either die or surrender.

[DS999]

That's what happens

When you don't give Putin his cut you get arrested.

When you give him his past due cut and promise to give him his cut in your future criminal endeavors, you're released and spared the gulag.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: That's what happens

Especially the latter: future crimes. I suspect these chaps have been released so they could 'voluntarily' join some kind of state agency doing the exact same, but now sharing the profits.

[chuckamok]

Re: That's what happens

I still get the feel they were somehow state supported, but they double crossed the boss.

[Anonymous Coward]

stop pretending

can we stop pretending that locking bad people in cells makes them better, and just start using them for fertilizer. The world would be a better place.

[Anonymous Coward]

@AC - Re: stop pretending

I don't think the US will agree. Locking bad (or good) people is a prosperous business for the private sector and in the US, preventing someone from doing business is criminal.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand

Finally Russia is doing something right (or at least as close as possible) and people on this forum are unhappy.

Besides, I see The Register is not toeing the line and distributes information about Russia that does not follow the general mainstream media. Please let's remain to "Russia bad" narrative.