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 name—because 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 extortion—presenting 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 Dubai—they 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 privacy—all 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 partner—an 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 court—abroad or in Russia.
Alistarov claimed to have reported the entrepreneur to Interpol and UAE law enforcement—allegedly cooperating with the authorities. Yet, for some reason, this did not lead to the entrepreneur’s arrest—perhaps 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 entrepreneur—telling 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 alibi—pretending 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 entrepreneur—using drones and unlawfully collecting information about him and his family, including underage children. Alistarov asserted that this entrepreneur was hiding in Cyprus—even though the man has lived ther
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