Wanted by FBI: member of hacker group detained in Kyiv and extradited to United States. PHOTOS
A 33-year-old foreigner wanted by the US FBI for his involvement in an international hacking group was detained.
This was reported by the Cyber Police Department, Censor.NET informs.
The perpetrators attacked industrial enterprises in a number of countries using their own developed ransomware viruses and then demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency.
"The criminals used malware they developed, including ransomware, to conduct cyberattacks on the world's leading industrial enterprises. As a result, the data on the victims' computers was encrypted and rendered unusable. For decrypting the information, the offenders demanded millions of dollars in cryptocurrency payments to controlled drop wallets.
The amount of damages caused by the criminal activity established by the investigation exceeds UAH 3 billion in equivalent," the statement said.
In November 2023, Ukrainian law enforcement officers, with the participation of colleagues from the United States, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, as well as representatives of Europol and Eurojust, conducted the first stage of dismantling an international hacker group whose members carried out large-scale cyberattacks on companies in France, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States.
"In total, law enforcement officers conducted more than 80 authorised searches in 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. To ensure compensation for the damage caused, the court seized the property.
The analysis of the information obtained as a result of investigative actions helped to identify a 33-year-old member of the group who was 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 execute cyberattacks," the statement said.
The US FBI put him on an international wanted list, charging him in absentia with a number of violations of the US Code of Laws.
The suspect was subsequently detained in Kyiv. By the decision of the Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv, he was placed on extradition arrest.
Upon completion of the extradition review and entry into force of the extradition decision, on 18 June 2025, the person was handed over to the US side.
