German police raid Ukrainian suspects and issue warrant for Russian leader of Black Basta ransomware group accused of extorting hundreds of millions.
BERLIN: Police have carried out raids in Ukraine and issued an arrest warrant for a Russian national in a major international probe into the Black Basta ransomware group.
German prosecutors announced the coordinated action on Thursday.
The group is accused of using malware to encrypt computer systems and demanding payment to restore them.
Between March 2022 and February 2025, the group extorted hundreds of millions of euros from around 600 companies and public institutions worldwide.
Victims were primarily companies in Western industrialised nations, but also included hospitals.
The operation involved authorities from Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ukraine and Britain.
Police searched the homes of two Ukrainian suspects in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv, seizing evidence.
Investigators also identified and issued an arrest warrant for the group’s alleged founder and head.
German police named the suspect as 35-year-old Russian citizen Oleg Evgenievich Nefedov.
Police stated Nefedov “decided on targets, recruited employees, assigned them tasks, participated in ransom negotiations, managed the proceeds and used them to pay the members of the group”.
The Ukrainian suspects are accused of involvement in “hash cracking”, a method of guessing passwords.
Ukrainian officials also searched the home of another alleged member near Kharkiv in August.
That suspect’s alleged role was to help ensure the malware evaded detection by antivirus programs.
In Germany alone, Black Basta is accused of extorting around 20 million euros from roughly 100 companies and institutions.
