Artem Stryzhak, a 36-year-old Ukrainian national, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in ransomware attacks against hospitals, businesses, law firms, and government agencies worldwide, causing more than $100 million in losses.
According to court documents, Stryzhak joined the Nefilim ransomware group in June 2021. He worked with other hackers to steal data and lock victims out of their computer systems, demanding ransom payments in exchange for access to their files.
Stryzhak was also one of the earliest affiliates of the Hive ransomware operation. Between June 2021 and January 2023, the group attacked around 1,500 victims worldwide, including hospitals and government organizations. Some attacks caused serious disruptions to healthcare services, including one hospital that could not accept new patients immediately after an attack.
The FBI helped one of Stryzhak’s victims recover its encrypted data without paying a ransom by providing a decryption key.
Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States in April 2025. He pleaded guilty in December 2025 to two counts of conspiracy involving computer fraud and extortion.