The SSU jointly with the National Police has neutralized a criminal group that terrorized residents and visitors of the capital.

Four recidivists were detained in Kyiv. They had previously served sentences for various crimes, including robbery, drug trafficking and illegal possession of weapons.

Their leader was a russian citizen who had served a prison term in a Ukrainian prison, following the SSU’s investigation. In 2017, the court sentenced him to 5 years in prison for his participation in the Vostok terrorist group, which fought against the Anti-Terrorist Operation forces.

After the release, the individuals united into a criminal group and continued their unlawful activities.

According to the investigation, the gang was tracking successful entrepreneurs and freelancers and then extorted money from them under false pretenses.

In case the victims did not pay, the racketeers abducted and severely tortured them, threatening with murder.

The investigation documented how the gangsters had abducted a Turkish IT specialist with a residence permit in Ukraine.

The perpetrators took him to a garage, where they had a torture chamber, and demanded USD 100,000 from the foreigner.

The victim had to transfer the entire amount from his cryptocurrency wallet to the gang leader’s email account.

The SSU detained four suspects ‘red-handed’ and seized firearms, explosives and mobile phones with evidence of the crime.

The detainees were notified of suspicion under three Articles of the CCU:

• 189.4 (extortion, committed by an organized group, under martial law);
• 146.2 (illegal deprivation of liberty or abduction of a person);
• 127.2 (torture).

The actions of the crime ring’s leader and another member were additionally qualified as robbery committed by an organized group under martial law.

The suspects are in custody without bail and face 12 to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out under the procedural supervision of Dnipro District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv.