Filenews 26 November 2025
At a time when the investigations of the Larnaca Police Department are underway for the attempted kidnapping of a 51-year-old Ukrainian in Oroklini, who he said is a former minister, the case is taking on unexpected dimensions. This is because extensive reports in Ukrainian media have him wanted since 2022 for a case a decade ago, involving the illegal supply of coal from the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine.
The Cypriot Police officially does not confirm that the 51-year-old is a former state official of Ukraine (although this was leaked to the press), however, according to the Ukrainian media, it is Volodymyr Demchyshyn, a former banker and politician, who served in the second government of Arsenii Yatsenyuk as Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016.
According to reports in the Ukrainian press, the 51-year-old former minister, who is unknown for how long he has been living in Cyprus, has been in an international wanted since 2022. The UNN agency, after reporting on the attempted kidnapping, reports that the 51-year-old former Ukrainian official "has been on an international wanted list since 2022, in connection with a case involving the supply of coal from the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015 and assistance to pro-Russian terrorist organizations in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions". A report by Mezha, moreover, notes that "according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Demchyshin is currently in a state of search (wanted)".
"F" submitted a request to the Press Office of the Police Headquarters, asking for information on whether an international arrest warrant is pending for the person who reported an attempted kidnapping. As we were told, in the past correspondence was received from the Ukrainian authorities, through the Ministry of Justice, with the aim of extradition of the 51-year-old, which was studied. "In response to a question from the Ministry of Justice to the Legal Service about whether the exception concerning a relevant article of the law that ratifies the European Convention on the Extradition of Fugitives and provides that in specific cases the extradition request cannot proceed is applicable, the Legal Service advised that for this particular case it is not possible to arrest, as long as it falls under the exceptions", it was indicated to our newspaper, without giving details as to the reasons why this decision was taken.
According to information, the 51-year-old is said to be doing business in Cyprus in the field of land development. He reported the case of attempted kidnapping to the Larnaca Police last Thursday, with the Larnaca Police Department, looking for two persons, for whom there is information that, possibly, they fled abroad. The two wanted are Athos Kotsonis, 42 years old, from the province of Larnaca and Dmitry Abramov, 44 years old, from Russia. Offenses related to an investigated case of conspiracy to commit a felony, attempted kidnapping, illegal possession of a firearm, assault causing actual bodily harm and theft are being investigated against them. Information, which is not officially confirmed by the Cypriot authorities, states that the case does not seem to be related to the 51-year-old's past and that the preliminary examinations point to financial differences.
It is recalled that the 51-year-old called the Police and reported that on Thursday afternoon three unknown persons attacked him and tried to force him into a commercial vehicle. According to what he reported to the police, while he was at his house with his 36-year-old partner and her 72-year-old father, they noticed that the commercial car in question, in which three people were riding, was parked nearby. The vehicle aroused suspicion in the 51-year-old, who approached it together with the 72-year-old in order to check what was happening. As they approached the vehicle, according to his complaint, they were allegedly attacked by the three strangers, who had their faces covered with surgical masks. The two reacted, as a result of which the perpetrators fled on foot, leaving the commercial vehicle behind. Both the 51-year-old and the 72-year-old were slightly injured. Under the microscope are the van vehicle left behind by the three perpetrators, a pistol with an empty magazine, a wig, as well as other evidence.
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The Police arrested today a 48-year-old man, who was wanted to facilitate investigations in a case of attempted murder committed on August 8, 2025 on a village road in the province of Famagusta, with the victim being a 61-year-old man.
According to the evidence of the case, the victim was involved in a verbal confrontation with another person, who allegedly boarded a car and, after starting his course, dragged him. The 61-year-old was seriously injured and taken to the hospital, where he remained for treatment.
Testimony obtained by the investigative authorities led to the issuance of a court warrant for the arrest of the 48-year-old. The Police had released his photo and details on August 9 in an attempt to locate him. Following his arrest today, the further publication of his details is deemed unnecessary.
The arrested person was taken into custody to facilitate investigations, while the case is being investigated by the Famagusta Police Department.
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A new case of internet fraud, with the extraction of money through false representations, is being investigated by the Police in Nicosia. The perpetrators, by sending a false message via e-mail, managed to extort a sum of money amounting to more than 13 thousand euros.
The case was reported to the TAE Nicosia, by a representative of a company in Nicosia. According to the complaint, on October 20, the company received an email, which appeared to have been sent by a partner company and stated that an invoice for the provision of services should be paid.
The company made a payment, by transfer of a sum of €13,030, to a bank account, in a bank of another European country, which was mentioned in the message. However, after contacting the partner company, it was found that the partner company had never sent the relevant email, which seems to have been sent by fraudsters, who had illegally gained access to the email account of the complaining company.
The Financial Crime Investigation Office of the TAE Nicosia is investigating the case.
On the occasion of this new fraud case, the Police recommends that, in cases where such messages are received, before citizens proceed to pay invoices, they should always verify the message, through telephone communication with the partners to whom the payment is to be made. For this communication, a telephone number should be used with which the two sides have re-contacted or which is indicated in messages exchanged between them in their previous transactions.
Company owners or managers are encouraged to inform their company's staff about this form of fraud and to implement procedures to verify the payment requests they receive.
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The Police are investigating a case of online fraud, which resulted in the extortion of a sum of money amounting to €30,000.
According to the complaint (25/11/2025), a 66-year-old man received a message on his mobile phone with the sender appearing to be GESY.
In the message, he was asked to pay a small amount of money as payment of fees.
Following the instructions, he entered his bank card details, as a result of which the amount of €30.000 was extracted from him.
The TAE Limassol continues the examinations.
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A 32-year-old man from Limassol ended up in a cell for 8 days, after serious complaints from his ex-partner. The 46-year-old woman claims that the suspect constantly watched her, blackmailed her, threatened her and exercised psychological violence on her, while he did not hesitate to hit her even with his vehicle.
The 32-year-old was brought before the Limassol District Court, which approved the request of the Limassol Police Department and ordered his pre-trial detention. Serious offenses such as causing bodily harm, threatening, violence, common assault and others are being investigated against him.
According to the complaint, the last incident took place the day before yesterday, when the 32-year-old was in the same store where the complainant had gone. According to the complainant, he started shouting at her and cursing her, while in a threatening mood he asked her to give him her mobile phone. The incident was noticed by the employees of the store, who called the Police, while the 32-year-old left the scene.
It should be noted that in her complaint, the complainant also mentioned other incidents, including another serious one, which occurred in a coastal area. There, after an argument, the suspect allegedly injured the 46-year-old with his vehicle, causing her bodily harm.
The 32-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday with an arrest warrant pending against him. He did not want to be questioned, stating that he would first take the advice of his lawyer.
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The investigations and examinations of the investigators of the TAE Limassol in relation to the murder of 49-year-old businessman Stavros Demosthenous continue unabated. At the center are two 28-year-old Greek expatriates from Georgia, who are in custody as suspects and, according to the Police, allegedly played decisive roles in the case.
As Filenews is authoritatively informed, the investigators of the Limassol Police Department received statements from the two suspects both yesterday, Monday, and in the previous days. The same information states that the 28-year-old I.Z., in his testimony, supported what he had reported by phone to the authorities after the location and confiscation of his vehicle, five days after the murder, on October 22. Specifically, he claimed that he had gone to the area of Agios Tychonas to obtain drugs, while he gave further details about his trafficking.
In fact, 28-year-old I.Z. proceeded a few 24 hours ago to indicate scenes for the place where he took the drugs from Agios Tychonas, but also for the route he followed with his vehicle to the residence of the 31-year-old accused and his relative, where the vehicle was recorded arriving an hour after the murder. The information states that the young man claimed, among other things, that he then went to various other places and then went to work, describing to the investigators his movements throughout the day of October 17, when Demosthenous was killed, thus giving an alibi.
On the other hand, the 28-year-old suspect A.Z. and cousin of the former, when interrogated, chose a different attitude. He did not answer any questions from the investigators, respecting the right to silence.
The seven-day detention order of the two 28-year-olds expires on Friday, with the investigators of the Limassol Police Department bringing them back before the Court requesting that the case be referred to the Criminal Court, as was done for the other four defendants. The defendants were taken to the Central Prison as undertrials while facing a total of 17 charges with the last one, that of theft, involving only the 51-year-old defendant. According to the authorities, three of the defendants had casual roles, while the three Greek expatriates from Georgia seem to have played a leading role in the "death contract" of the 49-year-old businessman.
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A 56-year-old man was arrested for self-inflicted offenses, who was spotted by members of the Police, illegally inside a residence in Larnaca, after information about a house burglary.
Specifically, shortly after midnight, last night, information was received about a burglary of a house in the province of Larnaca, with the information stating that the perpetrator was inside the house.
Members of the local Oroklini Police Station, as well as members of the OPE, rushed to the area, where inside the residence they located the 56-year-old, whom they subjected to a check. During the check, members of the Police found in the possession of the 56-year-old suspect a portable video camera, property of the owner of the residence, while at the scene they found a lever, with which it is believed that the suspect broke into one of the doors of the residence.
The 56-year-old was arrested by the members of the Police for flagrante delicto, while he was then arrested with a court warrant issued on the basis of evidence that emerged against him, in relation to two more investigated cases of attempted burglary of a house, and illegal entry into a residence, offenses committed last August, in the province of Larnaca.
The Oroklini Police Station continues the examinations.
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The drama of the family, the violent outcome and the references to chronic mental illness make up the framework of the case of the 48-year-old patricide, which will concern the Justice. This is a difficult and complex case of family tragedy that has shocked the local community of Limassol and is now being brought for a hearing before the Permanent Criminal Court.
It is recalled that the 48-year-old fatally stabbed his father, Giorgos Hadjigeorgiou, in the early hours of July 9 in Limassol. The victim had nine stab wounds, six in the chest and three in the hand, two of which were fatal.
The 48-year-old is charged with manslaughter, while the Court is called upon to hear the facts of a brutal crime and examine the aspects of the case, where the mental state of the accused and the family history create a sensitive and multifaceted scene.
During today's proceedings, the 48-year-old did not admit the one and only charge he faces, that of homicide. On October 27, his lawyer, Alexandros Saouris, submitted a request invoking Article 70 of the Criminal Procedure Law, for his client to be examined by a psychiatrist before the hearing. In particular, he raised the question of whether the accused can attend the proceedings. Subsequently, the Court ordered his examination by a government psychiatrist.
On November 7, the accused was examined by a psychiatrist of the Central Prison and the report was prepared on the same day. The two sides were informed of its content and today, when the examination of the request was scheduled, the 48-year-old's lawyer stated that he would not refute the report, stressing, however, that he did not agree with it, while for his part the representative of the Prosecution Authority stated that the content of the report is informative.
The Criminal Court noted that it studied the report and the positions of the two sides. According to the psychiatrist's report, the accused suffers from a chronic mental illness, which requires medication and is characterized by an established paranoid readiness. However, his cognitive state during the examination was such that, at the discretion of the psychiatrist, it allows him to observe the procedure.
The Court noted that nothing capable of refuting or challenging the conclusions of the report was presented and, therefore, at this stage the accused is considered capable of attending the trial and responding to the indictment.
After this development, the 48-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter while his lawyer clarified that he will invoke the defense of insanity.
The case was set for February 2026, while the accused was taken back to the Central Prison, where he remains on trial.
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The former director of the Central Prisons, Anna Aristotelous, and the officer of the Audit Office and former deputy director of the Central Prisons, Athena Demetriou, were suspended yesterday, after her criminal prosecution in relation to the case of the prison documents.
The recently expired suspension of Ms. Aristotelous, was extended yesterday until November 30, when from 1/12/2025 she changes status, since she is appointed as general manager. It is expected, according to the opinion of the Legal Service, that the Council of Ministers will move and suspend her until the conclusion of the judicial process. This development comes after yesterday the Attorney General sent his opinion requested by the person in charge of the Presidency, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Andreas Grigoriou.
As far as Ms. Demetriou is concerned, the relevant request to be suspended was submitted by the Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou, following a letter from the Police, in which she informed him of the progress of her criminal prosecution, in relation to the case of the thousands of documents of the Central Prisons. Yesterday, the Audit Office was informed by the EDY that the request is accepted and it will be out of service until the end of its trial, if there is no other development.
However, tomorrow, Thursday, it is expected that the Council of Ministers will proceed with the appointment of Ms. Aristotelous, along with four others, to the position of general director. It is also expected that before she takes up her new post, the decision on her availability will be made. It is noted that the appeal of Ms. Aristotelous is pending, to the decision of the Administrative Court to reject her appeal, by which she requested the annulment of the decision of the National Public Health Service to renew her suspension for another two months.
Six members of staff (one of whom was transferred to the Police) are also out of prison until their trial, who are also in the indictment recently registered in the Nicosia District Court. The first hearing is set for December 15.
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The 48-year-old Greek Cypriot, who had been wanted for almost 4 months for the attempted murder of a 61-year-old colleague in Vrysoules last August, was placed in eight-day detention by the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni. The 48-year-old, who appears to have been hiding in the free areas, is suspected of offenses of attempted murder and illegal possession of explosives, after hunting cartridges were found in his possession.
It is recalled that the alleged perpetrator and victim worked in a company that packs eggs in Vrysoules. According to the Police, shortly before the attempted murder on the afternoon of Friday, August 8, the two were seen arguing. Subsequently, the 48-year-old allegedly entered his car and violently hit the 61-year-old with it, who was thrown to the ground and hit the head.
The injured man was transported by ambulance to the General Hospital of Famagusta, where he was found to have suffered a skull fracture and a cerebral haemorrhage. He was then intubated and taken to Nicosia General Hospital, where he underwent a long surgery. According to information from the Police, the 61-year-old continues to be hospitalized and whilst his health condition has improved, however he remains in a serious condition.
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Cyprus Mail
A man who was sentenced to 300 years in prison in Turkey for forgery and fraud was arrested in the north on Tuesday, Turkish Cypriot media reported on Wednesday.
According to the reports, the wanted man, Fatih Fidan, arrived by ship, the Besparmak, from Turkey to Kyrenia port and managed to slip into the country illegally without completing any entry procedures.
Police said he entered the country around noon on Tuesday.
He was spotted in Kyrenia as a person wanted by Turkish authorities and immediately arrested for “illegal entry”. A court ordered his remand for three days.
The reports contained no details on the extent of Fidan’s fraud conviction in Turkey that warranted a 300-year prison term.
