Russians abduct Ukrainian on Bali to extort ransom

A group of Russians organised the abduction of a Ukrainian citizen on the Indonesian island of Bali and forced him to transfer cryptocurrency worth $215,000. Jakarta Globe reports, citing police.

The incident occurred on 15 December in the South Kuta area of Badung Regency. Ukrainian Ihor Yermakov was travelling in a BMW with a driver when they were ambushed by unidentified individuals. Two other vehicles blocked the road, leaving the victims no room to manoeuvre.

Four masked perpetrators, armed with knives, hammers and pistols, forcibly pulled Yermakov and his driver from the car. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and transported to a villa in the same area. There, the Ukrainian was beaten and threatened into transferring his crypto assets to two third-party accounts.