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Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, a Ukrainian citizen accused of participating in Nefilim ransomware attacks, was extradited from Spain to the United States on April 30, 2025. The case later changed: the Justice Department reported that he pleaded guilty on December 19, 2025, to conspiracy to commit computer fraud. DOJ said sentencing was scheduled for May 6, 2026, but the latest official case update available here does not establish what sentence, if any, the court imposed.
Why was Artem Stryzhak extradited to the United States?
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced on May 1, 2025, that Stryzhak had been extradited from Spain the previous day. Prosecutors tied him to a Nefilim ransomware operation and a superseding indictment charging conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity, including extortion, involving computers. The announcement said he had been arrested in Spain in June 2024.
The extradition announcement described allegations in the indictment, not a finding of guilt. DOJ later reported Stryzhak’s guilty plea, so the initial charges should not be mistaken for the case’s final known procedural development.
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What does the case record say about his Nefilim role?
According to DOJ’s account, Nefilim administrators gave Stryzhak access to ransomware code in June 2021 in exchange for 20 percent of his ransom proceeds. DOJ says he used an online platform referred to as the “panel.” These details are prosecutors’ description of the arrangement.
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Targets and revenue thresholds
DOJ said administrators preferred companies in the United States, Canada, or Australia with more than $100 million in annual revenue. It also described a July 2021 exchange in which an administrator encouraged Stryzhak to target companies in those countries with more than $200 million in annual revenue. Those stated preferences do not establish that every company targeted met either threshold.
How the extortion allegedly worked
Prosecutors said the ransomware was customized for individual victims and paired with a decryption key and ransom note. Their account describes a double-extortion approach: data was stolen and systems encrypted, while victims were threatened with publication of the stolen information on “Corporate Leaks” websites operated by Nefilim administrators.
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Did the Ukrainian Nefilim defendant plead guilty?
Yes. DOJ reported that Stryzhak pleaded guilty on December 19, 2025, to conspiracy to commit computer fraud in connection with Nefilim ransomware activities. The guilty plea is a later development than the May 2025 extradition and indictment announcement.
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What is known about sentencing?
The December 19, 2025 DOJ announcement said sentencing was scheduled for May 6, 2026. The official update available for this account does not confirm a subsequent sentencing outcome. It would therefore be inaccurate to state a particular sentence as fact without a later court docket entry or official announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the case relate to other ransomware defendants?
DOJ and the FBI identify Volodymyr Tymoshchuk as a separately charged alleged administrator associated with Nefilim and other ransomware variants. DOJ’s September 2025 announcement described Stryzhak as an affiliate of Tymoshchuk’s Nefilim operation. The allegations involving Tymoshchuk’s other activity, including LockerGoga and MegaCortex, should not be attributed to Stryzhak’s Nefilim conduct. In particular, DOJ’s broader figures concerning alleged LockerGoga and MegaCortex compromises are not counts of Stryzhak’s Nefilim victims.
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