03 August 2026
(PHOTO: gp.gov.ua)
<span><span><span><span><span><span>A man was detained in Odesa on suspicion of organizing the contract killing of a judge at one of the city’s district courts. He was arrested after handing over $1,000 to the hitman to purchase a weapon for the crime.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to investigators, the suspect devised a detailed plan for the murder, found a hitman, and offered him $50, 000. Of this amount, $10,000 was to be paid as an advance once the plan was set in motion, and he promised to pay the remainder after the murder was confirmed. The organizer also agreed to pay for the purchase of the weapon and ammunition.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>The “hitman” was operating under the supervision of law enforcement. During meetings with the client, he discussed the method of the attack, the amount of compensation, and measures to maintain secrecy, and was supposed to provide information about the judge’s place of residence, his travel routes, and his vehicles. All negotiations were documented by law enforcement. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>The detainee is currently charged with an attempted conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, carried out on commission and for financial gain. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
Earlier, the head of one of the departments of the Odesa Regional Criminal Investigation Department and Special Operations Unit was detained on suspicion of corruption. According to investigators, he demanded 500 liters of diesel fuel in exchange for removing a person from the wanted list. The maximum penalty for this crime is 10 years in prison. The court ordered the suspect to be held in pretrial detention with the right to post bail in the amount of 599,000 hryvnias.
Юлія Калабайда