Member of REvil sentenced to fourteen years in prison in the United States 

On May 1, 2024, the US justice department announced that a Texas court had sentenced Ukrainian cybercriminal Yaroslav Vasinskyi, aka “Rabotnik”, to 14 years in prison. A former associate (and then full member) of the Russian-speaking ransomware gang, REvil, the 24-year-old will also have to pay 16 million dollars (15 million euros) in damages.

Law enforcement arrested Yaroslav Vasinskyi in November 2021, on the border between Poland and Ukraine, in a widespread international sting against REvil. Shortly after, in January 2022, Russian authorities announced dismantling the ransomware gang and arresting fourteen of its members.

The US justice system charged Yaroslav Vasinskyi with taking part in over 2,500 cyber attacks involving Sodinokibi ransomware, which was developed by REvil. He also stood accused of playing an active role in the spectacular hack of the US company Kaseya, in the summer of 2021. The cybercriminal pled guilty in the summer of 2022. 

The ransoms demanded by Rabotnik are thought to total 700 million dollars (650 million euros). US authorities, however, only traced 2.5 million dollars (2.3 million euros) in payments to Yaroslav Vasinskyi, in Bitcoin and Moreno. As a whole, the West’s investigation into REvil led to the seizure of 40 Bitcoins (2.38 million euros) and 6.1 million dollars (5.7 million euros).

“Working with our international partners, we are bringing to justice those who target U.S. victims, and we are disrupting the broader cybercrime ecosystem,” stated Lisa Monaco, US Deputy Attorney General.

In Russia, however, proceedings against REvil members seem to have stalled. Lawyers for the accused recently filed for the case to be dismissed, considering the whole procedure irregular.