A resident of Mykolaiv called for the bridge to be blown up and for Ukrainian soldiers to be killed

Pro-Russian comments on Telegram, calls for attacks on Mykolaiv, and videos showing the movement of Ukrainian military equipment served as the basis for the verdict. The court found that the man not only disseminated Russian narratives but also passed on information that could have been used by the aggressor state.

This was reported by Intent, citing the verdict of the Ingulsky District Court of Mykolaiv.

According to the investigation, between 2022 and 2023, the man posted pro-Russian comments in public Telegram chats. In particular, after discussing the situation in Mykolaiv, he wrote: “I hope Russia blows up the Varvarivsky Bridge before the offensive so the Nazis don’t escape; it’s doomed anyway.”

In another discussion about the Ukrainian military, he stated: “Kill them and bury them, then report that they fled. What kind of trial could there be!” Another of his posts concerned residents of the de-occupied territories: “We need some kind of government agency where we can turn to or report such non-citizens in the liberated cities; otherwise, there are a hell of a lot of these creatures in Mykolaiv.” A linguistic analysis concluded that these statements contain signs of justifying Russian aggression and the occupation of part of Ukraine’s territory.

A separate incident occurred in July 2023. According to the case file, while standing near his home next to the railway bridge over the Ingul River, the man recorded the movement of military equipment and Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel on his phone. He forwarded the recording to the administrator of a pro-Russian Telegram channel, where the video was published along with a map and location coordinates. Although the post was soon deleted, it had already garnered hundreds of views and was shared by other channels.

In court, the defendant admitted only part of the facts of the case. He claimed that he had no intention of assisting Russia and that he filmed the video out of curiosity, as his poor eyesight made him want to see exactly what the train was carrying. According to him, he did not know that the Telegram channel administrator might be collaborating with the Russian side, and after the post went live, he asked for the recording to be removed.

The man also stated that he condemns his own actions, which were committed in haste, and regrets the consequences for his family. Regarding one of the pro-Russian comments, he explained that he wrote it out of hostility toward the region’s leadership at the time, and he cast doubt on his authorship of two other posts, suggesting that their content might have been altered. In addition, he insisted that he held an anti-war stance and had even argued against the war in online chat rooms.

However, the judge found these explanations unconvincing. For the aggregate of his crimes, he was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison, with confiscation of his property. The judge also ordered the confiscation of the cell phone used during the commission of the crimes.

Similarly, posts on Telegram supporting Russian aggression and endorsing the occupation led to a criminal conviction for a resident of Mykolaiv. 

Анна Бальчінос