13.11.2026 20:52
Russian cryptocurrency investor Roman Novak, who once drew attention for his luxurious lifestyle, and his wife Anna were kidnapped and killed in a trap set in the United Arab Emirates. It was alleged that the suspects, seeking to obtain the passwords to their crypto wallets, subjected both of them to torture and then dismembered their bodies and left them in the desert. As part of the investigation, one of the suspects was claimed to be a former soldier and to have participated in the war in Ukraine, while the masterminds behind the murder have not yet been identified.
In the investigation launched after Russian crypto investor Roman Novak (38) and his wife Anna Novak (37) disappeared in the UAE in October 2025, it has emerged that they were brutally murdered. It is believed that the couple was lured into a trap when they went to meet fake investors in the Hatta area.
According to Russian investigative authorities, the attackers took the couple to a villa and detained them there. It was alleged that Roman Novak was tortured there with an electric shock device to make him give the passwords to his crypto wallets.
THEY WENT AFTER A £380 MILLION FORTUNE
It was stated that the suspects aimed to reach Novak's cryptocurrency fortune worth approximately £380 million. However, it was claimed that when the attackers checked the wallets, they saw that the accounts were almost empty.
Thereupon, it was alleged that the couple's personal belongings worth approximately £180,000 were taken, Roman and Anna Novak were beaten to death, and their bodies were dismembered and left in the desert.
AMONG THE SUSPECTS ARE FORMER SOLDIERS WHO TOOK PART IN THE UKRAINE WAR
Within the scope of the investigation in Russia, three people alleged to have played a role in carrying out the murder have been identified. It was stated that the suspects include two former soldiers who took part in the war in Ukraine.
It was reported that the Russian prosecutor's office approved the filing of a case against 47-year-old Yury Sharypov, said to be a former soldier, on charges of planning and carrying out the murder. It was alleged that Sharypov confessed as part of the investigation and cooperated with the authorities.
It was reported that another suspect, 45-year-old Vladimir Dalekin, also admitted his guilt, but died while in custody before the trial. It was stated that the investigation into the other suspect, former police detective Konstantin Shakht, is ongoing.
The phrase “Putin’s warriors” used for the attackers in the British press is based on the suspects being former soldiers who took part in the Ukraine war. However, there is no verified information that the murder was carried out on Putin's orders or that the Russian government is connected to the incident.
THE NAMES BEHIND THE MURDER HAVE NOT YET BEEN IDENTIFIED
The investigative authorities have not yet been able to identify the instigators behind those who carried out the murder. According to the allegation, it was decided to pay the attackers approximately £90,000 in return for carrying out the murder.
On the other hand, it was reported that at the time Roman Novak was killed, he was also under investigation on allegations of cryptocurrency fraud worth millions of pounds. Claims that Novak had previously served prison time for embezzlement and caused losses to investors also appeared in the Russian press.
It was stated that the couple's two young surviving children were placed with Anna Novak's family.