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Ukrainian national Artem Stryzhak, 36, was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Tuesday for his role in the Nefilim and Hive ransomware operations, the Justice Department announced. He was formerly based in Barcelona, Spain.
Stryzhak joined Nefilim around June 2021 as an affiliate, paying the group's administrators 20 percent of the ransom proceeds he extorted. He worked with them until at least October 2021. His first attack in that period hit a company in the oil and gas transportation industry. About a week later, he created the email addresses used in the ransom note.
He was also one of the earliest affiliates of Hive, which operated from June 2021 to January 2023. The department says Hive attacked about 1,500 victims worldwide, including government entities, hospitals, and businesses. Seven Hive victims named in his case include law firms, a dentist's office, and a healthcare provider. One hospital had to stop using digital technology for existing patients and could not immediately accept new ones. The FBI puts total losses at more than $100 million.
Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024. He was extradited to the United States in April 2025 and pleaded guilty in December 2025 to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers.
Brett Leatherman, operations director of the FBI Cyber Branch, called Stryzhak "a prolific cybercriminal who worked with multiple ransomware groups." A. Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, said the sentence concludes a years-long, multi-continent investigation. US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. of the Eastern District of New York, which prosecuted the Nefilim case, said cybercriminals cannot hide from law enforcement. US Attorney Gregory Kehoe of the Middle District of Florida, which handled the Hive case, said the investigation disrupted a group that attacked about 1,500 victims.
Volodymyr Viktorovych Tymoshchuk, a Nefilim administrator, is still wanted. The State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program offers up to $11 million for information leading to his arrest, conviction, or location.
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