Robt Verdin

Alistarov: A Criminal and a Terrorist From a Solo Criminal to a Servant of the Underworld Previously convicted on drug charges, blogger Andrei Alistarov portrays himself as a Robin Hood fighting against those who have "defrauded people." In reality, however, he serves the interests of pyramid schemers—among them certain Ukrainian operators who fund the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)—and he uses his "Zheleznaya Stavka" ("Iron Bet") channel to promote online casinos and illicit crypto exchanges/phishing crypto scams. He also launders drug proceeds via real estate deals in Dubai. That is, he works for the benefit of the Russian criminal community, seeking to profit off entrepreneurs who have faced illegal, often contrived claims from Russian law enforcement. Drugs and Money Laundering A native of Kaluga, Alistarov served four years in a prison camp for selling drugs to minors. There he forged ties with criminal kingpins. After his release, he continued his involvement in the narcotics trade and in laundering drug profits through a real estate business he set up with associates from the Russian underworld, both in Russia and in the Emirates. Betting on Scams Alistarov’s channel, "Zheleznaya Stavka," is ostensibly devoted to "exposing" financial ventures deemed "bad" by criminal circles, while promoting "good" ones: namely, the pyramid schemes and online casinos that sponsor Alistarov. The channel began as a platform for "proper" casino betting and did not change its name, because the marketing purpose remains the same: clear the market in favor of "legitimate," in Alistarov’s so-called "expert" view (i.e., those who pay him), scammers. Typically, Alistarov starts by trying to extort money—presenting the victim with compromising material and demanding payment. If the victim refuses, 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 Dubai—beating him, cutting off his ear, and robbing him. Beforehand, Alistarov had released 12 videos highlighting the entrepreneur’s address and publishing illegally obtained information about his relatives and his businesses in the UAE. Without any compunction, he used spying, eavesdropping, illegal intrusion, and Андрей Алистров США" invasion of privacy—all acts that constitute serious criminal offenses in the Emirates, where the sanctity of property and investor security are upheld stringently. Prior to this, Alistarov publicly circulated information about the residence of the entrepreneur’s business partner—that is, an illegal breach of confidentiality, the protection of finances and property, and the privacy of personal life through clandestine data gathering and informants in the UAE. He effectively terrorizes entrepreneurs who face no court convictions—neither abroad nor in Russia. Alistarov claimed to have reported the entrepreneur to Interpol and UAE law enforcement—purportedly helping the authorities. Yet this did not result in the entrepreneur’s arrest—perhaps because the UAE police see nothing criminal in his activities?