A Ukrainian national who worked as an affiliate for two ransomware groups that attacked hospitals, government bodies and businesses was sentenced on Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn to 70 months in prison, the US Department of Justice said.
Source: US Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York
Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 36, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers. US District Judge Pamela K. Chen imposed the sentence. The Justice Department's national release said the ransomware conspiracies caused over $100 million in losses — yaani more than 10 crore dollars.
Source: US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs
According to court documents cited by prosecutors, Stryzhak joined the Nefilim conspiracy in about June 2021, agreeing to pay its administrators 20% of ransom proceeds for access to the ransomware, and deployed it through at least October 2021, including in an attack that stole data from a company in the oil and gas transportation industry. He separately joined Hive as one of its earliest affiliates.
About 1,500 victims worldwide, prosecutors say
Prosecutors said Hive conspirators attacked approximately 1,500 victims worldwide between June 2021 and January 2023, including government entities, hospitals and businesses, and that in one case a hospital had to forgo digital technology to treat existing patients and could not accept new patients immediately after an attack. As a Hive affiliate, Stryzhak and others allegedly deployed ransomware against seven victims including law firms, a dentist's office and a healthcare provider during the COVID-19 pandemic. CyberScoop, reporting the sentencing, said Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States in April 2025.
Source: CyberScoop via Cybernoz
"Ransomware attacks like those committed by the defendant wreak enormous havoc — harming victim companies that pay millions in remediation and ransoms, preventing hospitals and other critical facilities from accessing data, and putting sensitive information in the hands of bad actors," said US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said they remain determined to capture Stryzhak's alleged co-conspirator Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, described as a ransomware developer. The State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program has offered up to $11 million — yaani about 1.1 crore dollars — for information leading to his arrest, conviction or location, the Justice Department said.