Netherlands Seizes 800 Servers, Arrests 2 for Aiding Cyberattacks
Original: Netherlands Seizes 800 Servers, Arrests 2 for Aiding Cyberattacks
Why This Matters
Major law enforcement action against cyber infrastructure supporting Russian operations
Dutch authorities arrested two hosting company co-owners on May 18 for operating IT infrastructure used by Russia for cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns within the EU. The operation seized over 800 servers and targeted companies linked to sanctioned Stark Industries Solutions.
Dutch financial crime agency FIOD arrested a 57-year-old Amsterdam resident and 39-year-old from The Hague, charging them with violating sanctions law by providing resources to EU-sanctioned entities. The investigation targets Stark Industries Solutions, a hosting provider that emerged two weeks before Russia's Ukraine invasion and became a source of massive DDoS attacks against European targets. The arrested individuals are Andrey Nesterenko, a Russian native operating MIRhosting, and Youssef Zinad from Amsterdam, who controlled WorkTitans BV. Their companies provided internet connectivity to Stark Industries after EU sanctions targeted its previous providers PQHosting and the Neculiti brothers in May 2025. Authorities searched businesses in Enschede, Almere and data centers in Dronten and Schiphol-Rijk, seizing laptops, phones and over 800 servers. Data showed their networks were heavily used in pro-Russian attacks on Danish government bodies during November 2025 municipal elections.