Nefilim and Hive Affiliate Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison

Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, a 36-year-old Ukrainian national, has been sentenced in the United States to 70 months in prison for his role as an affiliate in the Nefilim ransomware operation and his involvement with Hive. He was living in Barcelona when arrested in Spain in June 2024 and was extradited to the US in April 2025.

Stryzhak pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit computer fraud, admitting that he operated as a Nefilim affiliate from June 2021 to October 2021 and later worked with Hive, targeting organisations in the US and abroad. Court documents note that he paid 20% of extorted ransom proceeds to Nefilim administrators.

Prosecutors say Stryzhak used Nefilim against an oil and gas transportation industry victim and seven Hive targets, including a dental practice, a healthcare provider, and law firms. Some victims paid ransoms and received decryption keys. FBI prosecutors described him as a prolific cybercriminal who, through his ties to multiple ransomware groups, helped disrupt patient care and contribute to losses in the stratosphere of tens of millions of dollars.

The US is also offering rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of other leaders of the groups he operated within, including up to $10 million for Tymoshchuk, who remains at large. The article notes that Hive hit more than 1,500 victims worldwide between June 2021 and January 2023.