The U.S. has arrested a Russian hacker who was planning to shut down Ukraine's power grid

Russian hacker Artem Revensky, known by the alias Digit, has pleaded guilty to carrying out cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the United States, Ukraine, and European Union countries. The suspect, who faces up to 27 years in prison, entered into a plea deal after being arrested in the Dominican Republic and extradited to New Jersey. 

Bloomberg reported this, citing federal documents and the defendant’s defense team.

Prosecutors established that Revensky was a key figure in the “Sector 16” group, which is sponsored by the Russian government and specializes in sabotaging oil and gas facilities. In addition to attacks on systems in Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York, the hackers planned large-scale sabotage operations against Ukraine. In particular, Revensky developed a plan to completely shut down the country’s power grid for three days in exchange for a reward of 5 million rubles, claiming in correspondence that the project had already been launched.

Plans targeting a gas facility in Poltava, to which the hackers gained access in September 2025, posed a particular danger. Revensky prepared a proposal for the Kremlin worth $75,000, promising to cause explosions, fires, and the destruction of the gas pipeline, which could have resulted in human casualties. Funding for “Sector16”’s activities was carried out through a global fraud scheme involving hotel bookings using stolen personal data.

Additionally, it was revealed that the hacker had a direct connection to Russian military production, working as a chief specialist in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, where Shahed drones are manufactured. His activities were directed against states that the Russian authorities consider hostile. The suspect is currently in custody in California, awaiting a final court verdict.

Italy extradited a Chinese citizen to the U.S. who was wanted by American authorities on suspicion of hacking. The case involves charges of data theft, specifically the results of medical research related to COVID-19.

A U.S. court found 29-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandr Didenko guilty of a large-scale IT scheme through which North Korean specialists were illegally employed in the U.S. He received a five-year prison sentence and the forfeiture of over $1.4 million, including cryptocurrency.