In Kyiv, police have detained a member of an international hacking group that attacked businesses in the EU, the US, and Canada using self-developed ransomware, then demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency. The amount of damage caused exceeds UAH 3 billion.
In Kyiv, police have detained a member of an international hacking group that attacked businesses in the EU, the US, and Canada using self-developed ransomware, then demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency. The amount of damage caused exceeds UAH 3 billion.
The detained 33-year-old hacker from Kyiv was a member of a group whose liquidation began in November 2023 with the participation of law enforcement officers from the United States, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, as well as representatives of Europol and Eurojust, the National Police reports .
This hacker group used malicious software they developed, including encryption viruses, for cyberattacks on leading global industrial enterprises in France, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States. As a result, data on the victims' computers was encrypted and rendered unusable. In exchange for decrypting the information, the perpetrators demanded millions in cryptocurrency payments to controlled drop wallets. The amount of damage caused by criminal activity, established by the investigation, exceeds 3 billion UAH in equivalent.
In total, law enforcement officers conducted over 80 authorized searches across Ukraine and seized crypto assets worth over UAH 24 million, 9 luxury cars, and 24 land plots with a total area of almost 12 hectares. In order to ensure compensation for the damages caused, the court imposed an arrest on the specified property.
Later, the involvement of another member of the group from Kyiv was established. He was engaged in searching for vulnerabilities in the corporate networks of the victim companies. The data obtained by the hacker was used by his accomplices to plan and carry out cyberattacks.
The US FBI put the Kyiv resident on the international wanted list, charging him in absentia with a number of violations of the United States Code of Laws. He was eventually detained by Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
By decision of the Solomyanskyi District Court of Kyiv, he was placed under extradition arrest. After the extradition check was completed and the extradition decision came into effect, on June 18, 2025, the man was transferred to the American side.
