Blacksprut
| Launched | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2023 |
| Founder(s) | Unknown administrators (Russian-speaking) |
| Network | Tor hidden service (.onion) |
| Currency | Bitcoin |
| Est. revenue | Not published |
| Peak size | Largest Russian-language market |
Blacksprut rose quickly after Hydra's fall to become the largest Russian-language darknet market — and was taken down by German authorities in 2023.
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History
Launched in 2021, Blacksprut absorbed a large share of Hydra's former users and vendors after the 2022 seizure. It replicated much of Hydra's structure, including escrow and Russian-language listings.
Operation
Blacksprut became the dominant market in the Russian-speaking segment, but its prominence made it a target. In late 2023 German investigators seized its servers and infrastructure in a coordinated operation.
Downfall
The seizure repeated the pattern established with Hydra: Russian-language markets that grew large attracted German-led international operations. The market went offline and did not return.
Legacy
After Blacksprut's fall, the Russian-language market fragmented further, with RAMP among the survivors. The takedown reinforced the lesson that, on the darknet, size itself is a vulnerability.