A Ukrainian national who participated in ransomware attacks targeting hospitals, government entities, law firms, and other <a href="https://bitcomme.com/abc-council-launches-digital-marketing-training-programme-for-tourism-businesses/” title=”ABC Council Launches Digital Marketing Training Programme for Tourism Businesses”>businesses was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison.
Artem Stryzhak, 36, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers. He was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States in April 2025.
Nefilim targeted high-revenue companies
According to court documents, Stryzhak became a Nefilim ransomware affiliate around June 2021. In exchange for access to the ransomware, he agreed to pay the group’s administrators 20% of the ransom proceeds extorted from victims.
His involvement in the Nefilim conspiracy continued until at least October 2021. During a June 2021 attack, he stole data from a company in the oil and gas transportation industry.
Nefilim’s preferred targets were companies in the United States, Canada, or Australia with more than $100 million in annual revenue. In an exchange around July 2021, a Nefilim administrator encouraged Stryzhak to target companies in those countries with annual revenue exceeding $200 million.
Hive ransomware disrupted healthcare
Stryzhak also became one of Hive’s earliest ransomware affiliates. He and his co-conspirators deployed Hive ransomware against seven victims, including law firms, a dental office, and a healthcare provider during the COVID-19 pandemic. The FBI supplied one of his victims with a decryption key, allowing it to recover its encrypted data without paying a ransom.
The broader Hive operation attacked approximately 1,500 victims worldwide between June 2021 and January 2023.
“Disrupting a ransomware group that attacked approximately 1,500 victims worldwide and sentencing a defendant who had targeted healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic is of significant importance to this office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida.
Investigators continue to seek Stryzhak’s charged co-conspirator, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk. The State Department has offered a reward of up to $11 million for information leading to his arrest, conviction, or location.
