The stepson of Ukraine’s ambassador to Bulgaria has been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a 21-year-old in Vienna, a case Austrian investigators believe was driven by access to cryptocurrency accounts.
The victim, Danila Kuzmin—the son of Kharkov deputy mayor Sergey Kuzmin—was found dead in a burned-out Mercedes under a Vienna bridge after being tortured and left in the vehicle before it was set alight.
Authorities say his digital wallets were emptied the same day.
Austrian and Ukrainian police coordinated their investigation, leading to the arrests of two Ukrainian nationals in Odessa: 45-year-old former customs officer Aleksandr Agoev and 19-year-old Bogdan Rynzhuk, the ambassador’s stepson.
Rynzhuk is the son of businessman Ivan Rynzhuk, previously tried and acquitted on financial charges, while Ambassador Olesya Ilashchuk—who became the boy’s stepmother—was herself a controversial political appointment with no diplomatic background.
Ukrainian media have questioned Ilashchuk’s rapid rise in the foreign service, highlighting her previous work as a personal development coach and purported “sexologist”, and suggesting political favouritism may have played a role. The murder investigation remains ongoing, with both suspects now in custody.
So shall we keep “standing with Ukraine”, National & co and Labour? Enough to evidence yet to reach for the political barge pole?