Arsonists who set fire to military personnel's vehicles were detained in Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers detained two men suspected of setting fire to a military servicemember’s car after receiving an order via Telegram.

According to the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, charges were filed against a 36-year-old resident of Mykolaiv and a 45-year-old resident of the region. They are charged with the intentional destruction of another person’s property by arson, committed as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals.

According to the investigation, one of the suspects received an offer via Telegram to set fire to military personnel’s vehicles in exchange for monetary compensation. He enlisted an accomplice to carry out the task.

After preparing a flammable substance and arson tools in advance, the suspects arrived in one of Mykolaiv’s districts on the night of June 20 and set fire to an Opel Astra belonging to a military servicemember.

The vehicle sustained significant damage as a result of the fire. In addition, a Mitsubishi Outlander parked nearby, also owned by a military servicemember, was damaged.

Law enforcement officers quickly identified the individuals involved in the crime and detained them. The court ordered both suspects to be held in pretrial detention, with the option of posting bail in the amount of 99,840 hryvnias.

The penalty under this article provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment.

The pretrial investigation is being conducted by investigators from the Mykolaiv District Police Department under the procedural supervision of the prosecutor’s office.

In May, a court in Mykolaiv sentenced two men who had attempted to set fire to a Ukrposhta branch in exchange for a reward received via Telegram. One of the suspects had previously been convicted of terrorism, but both avoided actual imprisonment. 

Also in April, a court in Mykolaiv sentenced a 19-year-old local resident who set fire to the district court’s administrative building on someone’s orders. During the pretrialinvestigation, it was revealed that the young man was acting on instructions from a handler in Russia. 

Андрій Колісніченко