Bali police release suspect in Ukrainian businessman's kidnapping

Russian mixed martial arts fighter Khasan Askhabov, detained in Bali on charges of kidnapping Ukrainian citizen Igor Yermakov and extorting a large sum of money, announced his release.

The athlete posted a photo from an airplane on social media, accompanied by an ambiguous caption stating that financial resources solve all problems. However, he soon deleted the post, replacing it with a statement that “the media are once again blowing out of proportion non-existent stories” (СМИ снова раздувают небылицы).

Askhabov claims that his detention at the Indonesian airport was a formality and was limited to giving witness testimony. According to him, he was in the UAE at the time of the crime, which was subsequently confirmed by the police investigation. The fighter's lawyer also stated that his client provided proof of his absence from the country at the time of the incident. On the evening of 31 January, Askhabov was released, after which he immediately left Bali, flying to Dubai.

It is worth noting that Indonesian police detained the fighter on 30 January. The investigation involves nine other Russian citizens, who are accused of kidnapping Yermakov, using violence, and extorting 3.2 billion rupiah (approximately 215,000 dollars).

Askhabov's name has previously been at the centre of scandals. In September 2023, he and his brother were detained in Thailand on suspicion of kidnapping an Italian businessman. The victim was subjected to torture, including the use of an iron, and the criminals took 40,000 euros in cash, watches, and equipment worth more than 300,000 euros from him. Despite the serious charges, the brothers escaped punishment and later moved to Bali.

Khasan Askhabov, a native of Chechnya, is a professional MMA fighter with 23 wins and 2 losses in his career. Since 2015, he has held the WWFC world championship title in the lightweight division.