Ukrainian Citizens Arrested for Serious Crime in Austria
The National Police of Ukraine, in cooperation with Austrian law enforcement agencies and with the support of Europol, apprehended two Ukrainian citizens potentially linked to a grave crime committed in Austria. The police have informed them of their suspicions.
A report about a missing Ukrainian citizen in Vienna was submitted to the police department in Kharkiv on November 26, 2025. A criminal case was initiated regarding the disappeared person (Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – intentional murder with the designation of "missing person"). Later, police investigators received information from their Austrian counterparts about a burnt vehicle found in Vienna, inside which was the body of an unidentified individual. Austrian experts confirmed a match between the missing 21-year-old Ukrainian and the body discovered in the vehicle.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects inflicted bodily harm on a resident of Kharkiv and, under threat of murder, forced him to grant them access to his cryptocurrency wallet. Following this, the assailants placed the victim in the trunk of their Mercedes-Benz vehicle and set it ablaze.
Through international cooperation, Austrian law enforcement provided information via the Liaison Officers Bureau in Ukraine about two Ukrainian citizens who might be involved in the crime. Both individuals have been arrested, and a "red notice" was issued by Interpol.
It is known that both accomplices meticulously planned the crime, selecting a location and purchasing gasoline in cash at a gas station beforehand. After the murder, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, they crossed the state border and entered Ukraine on November 26. As a result of operational measures, the National Police located both citizens and arrested them in Odesa.
During searches conducted by the police in the context of the criminal proceedings, items that may hold evidentiary significance were seized from their hotel room, as well as their apartment and vehicle: foreign and national currency, clothing, phones, etc. All items have been sent for forensic examination.
On December 16, the crime was reclassified by Ukrainian investigators under part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The suspects have been formally notified of the charges against them. On December 18, the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv chose a preventive measure of detention for both suspects.
The National Police of Ukraine continues to work closely with Austrian law enforcement to ensure the inevitability of punishment.
