A man who blackmailed a Ukrainian singer has been detained. The detainee demanded money for not disseminating confidential information about the artist.
Details
According to the police, the individual in question is a 23-year-old resident of Kyiv. "He possessed information that could compromise the person. To prevent this information from becoming public, he demanded money," the police stated.
He was reportedly detained by operatives of the National Police's Department of Strategic Investigations and investigators from the Kyiv Oblast police. "The victim filed a complaint with the police," law enforcement officials noted.
The police have not disclosed the name of the Ukrainian singer, but performer Olena Topolia, known as Alyosha, reported that "on January 10, she received blackmail threats regarding an intimate video, demands for money, attempts at manipulation, and even demands for compromising material on her loved ones." "Allegedly, I had something going on since October 2025. I have all the evidence that this is a lie," she stated on Facebook.
"I immediately contacted law enforcement agencies with a statement about a criminal offense. There is evidence, the process is ongoing," the singer indicated.
In her address, the performer stated: "I, Olena Topolia, am a free person! I am addressing you after a crime has occurred. My intimate videos are already circulating online. I am not going to hide or be ashamed - shame should be felt exclusively by those who did this and who continue to spread it."
"Now that the video is online, I want to say clearly: my body, my intimacy - it is not your prey, not a commodity, and not a reason for humiliation or enrichment. It belongs only to me! No one has the right to steal my dignity or defile it," the singer emphasized. "To journalists, media, bloggers, and everyone who comes across these materials: do not share, do not take screenshots. Every share is a new victim, new harm, a new crime. This violates the law on personal data protection, on the inviolability of private life, and the article for it."
"I am not silent, because in the modern world there can be no place for blackmail. Someone really needs to make me 'not free.' Let my difficult experience be an example for everyone who goes through something similar: do not tolerate, do not try to negotiate, do not pay, do not hide, record, report, speak out. Thank you to everyone who is already writing words of support. My dignity is inviolable. I will get through everything. I promise," she concluded.
The extortionist has now been detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Police investigators have notified him of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 189 (extortion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is being decided.
As stated, measures are ongoing to identify individuals who may also be involved in this crime. The sanction of the imputed article provides for a punishment of 12 years of imprisonment.