Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Ransomware
TL;DR
Ukrainian citizen Artem Stryzhak pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to conspiracy in ransomware attacks, facing up to 10 years in prison. He was extradited from Spain, while his co-conspirator remains at large with an $11 million reward.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
On Dec. 19, in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., Artem Stryzhak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity, including extortion, in connection with computers, for his role in a series of international ransomware attacks. Stryzhak, a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested in Spain in Jun. 2024 and extradited to the United States on Apr. 30, 2025. When sentenced, Stryzhak faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. His co-conspirator, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, remains at large and is the subject of a $11 million reward offered by the U.S. Department of State. In Jun. 2021, Nefilim administrators gave Stryzhak access to the Nefilim ransomware code in exchange for 20 percent of his ransom proceeds. He operated the ransomware through his account on an online platform operated by Nefilim administrators. News Release