Crypto Kidnappers Torture and Kill Ukrainian Student in Austria
The son of a Ukrainian official has been brutally murdered in the Austrian capital by kidnappers who attempted to extort his cryptocurrency. The young man was abducted, tortured, and burned to death by fellow Ukrainians who managed to drain his crypto wallets, local police announced following their investigation into the case.
A 21-year-old Ukrainian student studying in Vienna became the victim of a gruesome murder committed by compatriots seeking his crypto assets. Danilo Kuzmin, believed to be the son of a politician from Eastern Ukraine, disappeared last week and was reported missing by his family. Ukrainian media identified the father as Sergey Kuzmin, deputy mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
His son’s charred body was discovered in a car in the underground parking of a luxury hotel in the Donaustadt district of the capital city. Guests and residents alerted the police after observing the burning vehicle, which bore Ukrainian license plates, according to the Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
Following an investigation supported by Ukrainian authorities and Europol, the initial mystery has been largely unraveled, as informed by the leading Austrian daily. Two suspects, men aged 19 and 45, have been arrested. Both are Ukrainian citizens and were detained in their home country based on an issued international arrest warrant.
More details about the crime were released at a press conference. Colonel Gerhard Winkler, head of the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, ruled out a political motive. Law enforcement stated that the perpetrators acted for financial gain. Investigators established that they had taken possession of a substantial sum of cryptocurrency, though the exact amount was not disclosed. Austrian officials explained that the kidnappers gained access to two of the victim's crypto wallets, which were completely emptied. A significant amount of cash, including U.S. currency, was found on one of the suspects during his arrest. Investigators believe this money originated from the criminal act.
Austrian Police Uncover Details of the Horrific Murder
Officers working on the case provided a detailed account of Kuzmin’s final hours. The Ukrainian student was overpowered by the attackers in the Sofitel hotel and brutally beaten, as evidenced by surveillance camera footage. The young man was then placed in the back seat of a Mercedes Benz and set on fire in an apparent attempt to conceal the evidence of the violence.
Forensic experts examining the body, discovered last Wednesday, found clear signs of trauma and significant burns. Asphyxiation or heat shock were cited as the probable causes of death. Investigators identified the suspects on another video obtained from a gas station in Vienna. They fled to Ukraine shortly after committing the crime.
The two men will be prosecuted in their country, and the Austrian judiciary will transfer the proceedings to the relevant authorities there, Colonel Winkler noted. According to a report by the OE24 news website, the 19-year-old suspect was a fellow student who lured the victim. The torched luxury car belonged to Danilo, who was reportedly tortured until he revealed his wallet passwords.
A Pattern of Tragic Crypto-Related Deaths in the Region
The horrific murder of the young Ukrainian in Austria is the latest incident in a series of crypto-related deaths across Eastern Europe and the surrounding region. In October, Russian crypto businessman and alleged scammer Roman Novak and his wife were kidnapped and killed in Dubai, as reported by Cryptopolitan. The news of his fate emerged amidst a surge in kidnappings of crypto investors in Russia. Three suspects, all Russian citizens, were arrested in St. Petersburg in connection with his case.
Later that month, Ukrainian crypto investor Konstantin Galich, widely known as the prominent influencer Kostya Kudo, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in his Lamborghini in Kyiv, in a suspected suicide. In November, Russian crypto entrepreneur and alleged millionaire Alexei Dolgikh died in a fiery crash with his own Lamborghini Urus while speeding in Moscow.