A retiree was sentenced to 8 years in prison for attempting to blow up a railroad in Odesa

A 74-year-old man was convicted in Odesa for attempting to blow up a railroad track on behalf of Russian intelligence. He received the assignment via Viber.

The verdict was handed downby the Khadzhibey District Court of Odessa.

On September 29, the court convicted the man of attempted sabotage and illegal handling of explosives. The sentence calls for eight years in prison with confiscation of property and may be appealed.

According to the court, in July 2025, the man agreed via Viber to carry out a mission for a Russian intelligence officer. He was to blow up a section of the Odesa Railway tracks in Odesa in exchange for a monetary reward.

On July 25, 2025, he traveled from Izmail to Odesa. Following instructions from his handler, he retrieved a homemade explosive device from a hideout on Mechnikov Street. That evening, he took a taxi to the tracks near Zhytomyrska and Podilska Streets and secured the device to the rails.

He then walked about 100 meters away and, at 11:17 p.m., called the phone that was supposed to serve as the detonator. No explosion occurred.

The device turned out to be a fake. It had been created and planted in the hiding place by law enforcement officers as part of a controlled operation to investigate a crime conducted by the SBU Directorate in the Odesa region. The components were replaced with safe ones, and the man was detained at the scene.

The defendant fully admitted his guilt and sincerely repented. According to him, he did not receive any money from the Russians because payment was promised only after confirmation of the explosion. He explained that he wanted to earn money in this way to help his grandchildren

The court recognized his sincere remorse and active cooperation in solving the crime as mitigating circumstances. No aggravating circumstances were found. The court took into account the man’s age, state of health, and the fact that he had no prior criminal record.

The final sentence is eight years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Earlier in Odesa, a man who attempted to carry out a sabotage attack on the railroad was also convicted. In that case, the court sentenced him to seven years in prison with confiscation of property.

Ірина Глухова