EU Sanctions Vitaly Kovalev, Ransomware Leader of Trickbot Group

On July 14, 2026 the EU, in coordination with the U.S. and U.K., sanctioned Vitaly Nikolayevich Kovalev (aka "Stern") for leading the Trickbot ransomware syndicate and allegedly receiving over $300 million in ransom payments; the sanctions also targeted infrastructure providers such as First VPN Service and aim to disrupt the cybercrime ecosystem that enabled ransomware operations (including Conti and Ryuk) against sectors like healthcare and finance.