Ukraine’s Pechersk District Court transferred custody of a seized wallet holding about 999,655 USDT back to a victim who had been defrauded after a business partner’s Telegram account was compromised. Investigators coordinated with Tether to freeze affected addresses and described the rapid return as an atypical, victim‑focused ruling.

A Kyiv court ordered the return of roughly 999,655 USDT to a plaintiff who was tricked into sending 2.15 million USDT after a business partner’s Telegram account was hijacked, marking an unusually swift judicial response in a high‑value crypto theft. The Pechersk District Court seized the wallet holding the near‑million‑USDT balance during the investigation and transferred the assets for safekeeping back to the victim while criminal inquiries continued. Ukrainian cyber police worked with Tether and relevant blockchain analytics teams to identify and freeze addresses associated with the scheme, enabling law‑enforcement action and the court‑ordered preservation of assets. Observers noted the case as notable for its rapid procedural pace—courts in many jurisdictions take far longer to resolve crypto‑asset custody disputes—and as an example of active public‑private cooperation to protect defrauded users. Authorities indicated the returned funds represent only part of the alleged loss and that trace‑and‑recover efforts remain ongoing as investigators pursue the accounts that received the remainder of the 2.15 million USDT payment.