A US court this week sentenced Ukrainian citizen Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko to four years in prison for his role in the Conti ransomware operation.
Lytvynenko, 44, was arrested in Ireland in 2023 and extradited to the United States in late 2025.
In June 2026, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting to helping the Conti Group develop malware and having stolen victim data. He faced up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities initially stated that the Ukrainian worked with the Conti Group between 2020 and 2022, when operations were suspended. However, in his guilty plea, Lytvynenko admitted to joining the cybercrime gang in September 2021.
Lytvynenko helped the group develop a malware loader, but investigators also found victim data in his possession, suggesting he may also have been involved in the actual ransomware attacks.
Investigators found that Lytvynenko continued to participate in ransomware attacks even after the Conti operation ended until his arrest.
The Conti ransomware gang is estimated to have received at least $150 million in ransom payments after encrypting victims’ files and threatening to reveal stolen information if they didn’t pay.
According to authorities, the hackers targeted organizations in more than 30 countries, including most U.S. states.
Lytvynenko’s sentencing comes just months after Latvian citizen Deniss Zolotarjovs was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison in the US for his role as a Karakurt ransomware negotiator.
Last month, the US also announced that the Belarusian creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
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