A 21-year-old Ukrainian student was brutally murdered in Vienna, with police believing he was tortured to force him to hand over a large sum of cryptocurrency. The victim, Danilo Kuzmin, was found burned alive in his father's Mercedes last week.
A Grisly Discovery Under a Bridge
Danilo Kuzmin's body was discovered in the back seat of a charred vehicle under a bridge in the Austrian capital on Wednesday, 27 November 2025. The son of Kharkiv's deputy mayor, Sergei Kuzmin, he had been living in Vienna for several years after fleeing Ukraine following Russia's invasion.
The burns were so extensive, covering approximately 80% of his body, that initial identification was impossible. The connection was only made after his family and a friend reported him missing, stating he had stopped answering his phone.
Torture, Extortion, and Arson
Post-mortem examinations revealed a horrifying sequence of events. Danilo suffered massive blunt force trauma, including head injuries and broken teeth, before his death. However, he did not die from these injuries. His cause of death was fatal suffocation or heat shock, occurring just after the fire was started.
Investigators found a melted petrol canister in the back seat, confirming the fire was a deliberate act of arson. The Mercedes, which had Ukrainian number plates, runs on diesel, ruling out an accidental fuel-related blaze.
Police sources indicate Danilo was lured to a meeting in the underground garage of a luxury hotel. There, he was beaten, forced into the car, and driven to the murder site. Crucially, detectives traced a 'large' outgoing transfer from Danilo's cryptocurrency wallet around the time of the attack, pointing to a clear financial motive.
International Manhunt and Arrests
The investigation quickly led to two suspects, both Ukrainian nationals. One is a 19-year-old fellow student from Danilo's university. Police say they have footage of this suspect buying a petrol canister at a city petrol station prior to the murder.
The second suspect is a 45-year-old man. Both men fled Austria the morning after the killing, entering Ukraine, where they were arrested by Ukrainian police that same evening. An international arrest warrant had been issued for them.
Austria has accepted a request from Ukraine to prosecute the suspects on home soil. Viennese police will continue their investigation to support the foreign prosecution. There is no immediate indication of whether the suspects admit or deny involvement in the murder.
