Russian prison authorities disclosed Oct. 16 that Vladimir Dalekin, a suspect in the deaths of crypto businessman Roman Novak and his wife, had died in custody the previous month.
Officials attributed Dalekin’s death at a St. Petersburg hospital on Sept. 16 to a chronic illness. He had been detained since November 2025 in connection with the case. The announcement came about a month after his death.
Russian investigators allege crypto businessman Roman Novak and his wife, Anna, were killed after an abduction in the United Arab Emirates in October 2025. They also allege the suspects sought to compel Novak to surrender access to his crypto wallet.
Investigators said their work on another suspect’s case was complete. They expected the case to reach court soon.
