An Armenian national extradited from Ukraine to the United States faces federal charges for his role in Ryuk ransomware attacks and extortion conspiracy targeting companies throughout the United States, including a technology company operating in Oregon.
Karen Serobovich Vardanyan, 33, an Armenian national, has been charged with conspiracy, fraud in connection with computers, and extortion in connection with computers. Vardanyan was extradited from Ukraine to the United States on June 18, 2025.
Levon Georgiyovych Avetisyan, 45, an Armenian national, has been charged with conspiracy, fraud in connection with computers, and extortion in connection with computers. Avetisyan is the subject of a United States extradition request in France.
Oleg Nikolayevich Lyulyava, 53, and Andrii Leonydovich Prykhodchenko, 53, both Ukrainian nationals, have been charged with conspiracy, fraud in connection with computers, and extortion in connection with computers. Lyulyava and Prykhodchenko are not in custody.
According to court documents, between March 2019 and September 2020, Vardanyan and the co-conspirators allegedly illegally accessed computer networks of victim companies to deploy Ryuk ransomware on hundreds of compromised servers and workstations.
Vardanyan and co-conspirators are alleged to have received approximately 1,610 bitcoins in ransom payments from the victim companies, which was valued at over $15 million at the time of payment.
Vardanyan made his first appearance in federal court June 20, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a seven-day jury trial scheduled to begin on August 26, 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for each count.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon
Vardanyan’s trial will be before Judge Mosman. The case is 3:22-cr-00280-MO, USA V. VARDANYAN, KAREN SEROBOVICH (Def # 3) but the docket does not seem to be available on PACER as of publication time.