Artem Revenskiy, known in cybercriminal circles as Digit, pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025, in federal court in the Central District of California. According to Bloomberg, citing court documents, he was a member of the hacker group Sector16, which American prosecutors directly link to funding by the Russian state.
From Texas to Poltava
Sector16's targets were oil and gas infrastructure facilities in countries the Kremlin considered enemies: the USA, Ukraine, Germany, France, and Latvia. In January 2025, the group took control of oil pumps and storage tanks at a facility in Texas — and announced this on the darknet. Later that year, hackers breached facilities in North Dakota, New York, and Pennsylvania.
In September 2025, according to the investigation, Sector16 gained access to a gas facility in Poltava region. According to prosecutors, group members discussed how to use this access to cause physical damage to the infrastructure.
"The Project Has Already Started"
The most detailed episode in the court documents involves negotiations about completely blacking out Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, Revenskiy wrote to one of his accomplices that he expected to receive 5 million rubles (approximately $60,000) for cutting off electricity across the entire country for three days.
"The project has already started"
— from text messages by Revenskiy cited in U.S. federal court documents
Additionally, the group planned sabotage of gas stations in Kyiv. None of the large-scale plans, based on available information, were carried out before the arrest.
Alabuga as an Entry Point
Revenskiy was taken into custody on November 2, 2025. According to Russian opposition outlet "Agency," no later than 2021, he began working in the special economic zone "Alabuga" in Tatarstan — the same zone where Shahed-type drones are manufactured. Until 2023, he held the position of senior specialist in the analytics module of the special projects department.
Sector16 financed part of its activities through schemes involving stolen credit card data. The combination of state contracts and criminal self-financing is a characteristic feature of so-called "licensed" hacker groups that Moscow uses to maintain plausible deniability.
Plea Deal and Sentencing
In exchange for pleading guilty, prosecutors will recommend a reduced sentence. Revenskiy faces up to 27 years in prison. He was charged with conspiracy to damage protected computer systems, wire fraud, and theft of personal data.
- Seizure of oil pumps and storage tanks in Texas — January 2025
- Breach of gas facility in Poltava region — September 2025
- Attacks on facilities in North Dakota, New York, Pennsylvania
- Targets in Ukraine, Germany, France, Latvia
The Revenskiy case is the first documented instance of a Sector16 member falling under U.S. jurisdiction and reaching a plea agreement. This means the investigation has obtained testimony from inside the group. The question is not whether he will expose the network — but how much of what he reveals the United States will be able or willing to make public, should negotiations with Moscow accelerate.
