Strike against streaming pirates: Europol dismantles nine networks

Europol has dismantled nine criminal IPTV networks in a major operation. Operation Kratos 2 resulted in numerous arrests in several countries. The investigators targeted the streaming pirates’ server structure directly.

Europol raid against IPTV pirates

European and international law enforcement authorities have dismantled nine criminal networks for illegal streaming in a large-scale operation. Led by Bulgaria and with support from thirteen countries, a total of 29 suspects were arrested between September 2025 and April 2026. Operation Kratos 2 aimed to dig into the infrastructure behind unauthorized IPTV services. The investigators focused not only on blocking individual websites, but on the entire criminal ecosystem.

Modern piracy networks often separate the user interface for end users from the servers that host the actual video material. The approach makes law enforcement significantly more difficult. By focusing on those behind the attacks, the authorities were able to gain deep insights into the technical management of the platforms.

Lack of details on goals

Like from one Europol communication (via TorrentFreak), the authorities present various figures, but do not mention any specific names of platforms. The published balance sheet of the operation includes, among other things, 148 apartments and buildings searched and the identification of 86 other suspects. In addition, over 27,000 URLs were removed and 169 domains were reported to the relevant authorities. Although the numbers mentioned seem high at first glance, the actual impact of the campaign remains unclear. For comparison: search engine operators remove millions of URLs from their indexes every day. Since no confiscated domains were made public, it is difficult to independently verify whether the deleted links cause permanent damage to the scene.

Dangers for end users

In addition to the copyright violations, the authorities point out – as always in such cases – the direct dangers for users. Anyone who accesses unauthorized platforms puts themselves at increased risk of malware infections, spyware and data theft. The criminals use the lucrative business of cheap access to premium content to open up additional sources of income. With 72 additional criminal investigations currently underway, additional measures against the piracy scene are expected in the coming months. Bulgaria, which led the operation, was recently removed from a U.S. copyright infringement watchlist as a result of the crackdown. It remains to be seen whether future operations will be more transparent. Do you still use traditional television or are streaming services gaining ground for you? Feel free to share your thoughts on pricing and content availability in the comments! See also: