Ukrainian National Guard Soldiers Implicated in Cryptocurrency-Related Murder in Kyiv

A foreign national, murdered in Kyiv over digital assets, was allegedly kidnapped by members of Ukraine’s National Guard. This was reported by Strana, citing sources within law enforcement.

According to these sources, one of the soldiers proposed a cryptocurrency transaction to the victim. He then allegedly informed three fellow servicemen that the foreigner had assaulted his underage relative and sought their assistance in punishing him.

The publication noted that the crime’s organizer did not disclose his intentions to rob and kill the victim to his accomplices.

“The servicemen helped organize the man’s abduction, while the crime’s organizer dealt with the Moroccan,” the media reported.

After the murder, the organizer asked his fellow servicemen to help conceal the body, the source added.

In late July, it became known that Kyiv police were investigating the kidnapping and murder of a foreign national with the aim of seizing his cryptocurrency worth approximately 7 million hryvnias (over $170,000).

According to case materials, four perpetrators kidnapped a 29-year-old man and forced him to transfer bitcoins to their crypto wallet, after which they strangled him. The accomplices then changed license plates, transported the body to a forest, and buried it, while cashing out the stolen assets.

The investigation established that the crime was meticulously planned, with the substantial amount in bitcoins serving as the motive. All suspects were apprehended, and money, a vehicle, and other physical evidence were seized from them. They face life imprisonment.

In April, a court in Phuket (Thailand) sentenced five Russians to prison terms for kidnapping a Belarusian couple to extort 31 million baht (about $845,700) in cryptocurrency.