The truth about the so called 'Dark Web' is difficult to deduce. It is much more complicated than the tabloid press would have you believe, and much more interesting. Russian Hackers, some deliberately overlooked by the state, some part of the state itself, are a big feature of the real Dark Web.
The recent Black Hat USA 2019 cybersecurity conference highlighted some of the real going-on in the Dark Web. Actors are quite deliberately ignored by the authorities if they are seen as disrupting foreign companies and assets. Other criminal activities are quite openly ignored and even condoned. Companies wishing to prevent the leak of stolen data or the spread of a security breach, are regularly using native speaking Russians, employed by ethical hacking companies, to negotiate the safe return of information.
It is an interesting rabbit hole, which you can read more about here...