Criminal leaders from Moldova organized arson attacks in the Odesa region

The arson attacks on two electrical substations in Bolhrad and Kubei in the Odesa region in April 2024 may have been orchestrated at the behest of Russian intelligence services through criminal leaders from Moldova. According to investigators, three people were involved in the sabotage, and its likely mastermind was Hryhorii Karamalak, known in criminal circles by the nickname “Bolgar.”

This is detailed in an investigation by the publication KibOrg, which obtained materials from the investigation and examined the connections among those involved in the case.

Two power substations in the south of the Odesa region caught fire late in the evening on April 13, 2024. The fires occurred in Bolhrad and the village of Kubey 55 minutes apart. As a result, more than 14,000 residents of eight settlements were left without power. Defense facilities, hospitals, and water, heating, and gas supply systems were also left without power.

According to the investigation, the day before the arson attacks, two men arrived at the substation in Bolhrad in a Ford with Lithuanian license plates. They were carrying a power drill and cans of gasoline; they surveyed the area and returned the following night to set the transformer on fire. A power facility in Kubeya was damaged in a similar manner.

On April 16, 2024, the SBU detained one of the alleged perpetrators—a 36-year-old resident of the village of Dmytrivka in the Bolhrad district. According to the investigation, he was supposed to receive $2,000 for the arson, but he never received the money. His accomplice was already in Moldova at that time.

In the case files, the detainee is identified as Oleg B. He holds Moldovan citizenship but, according to him, has lived in Ukraine for about 20 years. The man remains in custody, and since October 2024, his case has been pending before the Primorsky District Court of Odesa. As of the publication of this investigation, no verdict had yet been handed down.

According to investigators, the organizer of the sabotage was 54-year-old Vladimir Stoyanov, who holds Moldovan and Russian citizenship. He was born in Chadyr-Lunga and used documents in the name of Vladimir Kulev while in Moldova. According to KibOrg, the man had previously been involved in criminal proceedings in Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia.

Investigators believe that Stoyanov not only directed the preparation of the sabotage but was also personally present with the perpetrators at both substations. In June 2024, he was notified in absentia of his status as a suspect in organizing the sabotage. Ukrainian courts have issued arrest warrants for him on several occasions, but these orders have not been executed. His current whereabouts are unknown.

At the same time, according to the SBU, Stoyanov may have been merely an intermediary. Grigory Karamalak, nicknamed “Bulgar” or “Bondik,” is named as the likely instigator of the arson attacks. In Moscow, he serves as vice president of the Russian Wrestling Federation, heads the IFAVIS Foundation, and is an aide to Russian Senator Alexander Brixin.

In Moldova, Karamalak was wanted in connection with criminal proceedings, specifically regarding extortion, organized crime, and attempted murder. In 2006, Russia granted him refugee status, and in 2008, citizenship. In 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions against him due to his activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

According to the SBU, it was Karamalak who may have been tasked by the FSB with organizing a sabotage operation in the Odesa region, enlisting individuals from Gagauzia’s criminal underworld to carry it out.

Journalists from KibOrg attempted to obtain comments from Stoyanov and Karamalak, but had not received a response as of the time of publication. The defense attorney for the accused, Oleg B., also declined to comment on his position, noting that it would be presented in court.

Андрій Колісніченко