Deserter from Odesa is sentenced to 15 years for arson attacks on railway property in Kyiv

The court found the man guilty of sabotage committed under martial law and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

According to the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine, the man was detained<span> when he set fire to technological equipment and tried to escape from the crime scene.</span>

The convict left the military unit in Odesa region without permission and went to Kyiv. While hiding in the capital, he settled in a rented apartment and began looking for quick money on specialized Telegram channels.

Later, an employee of a Russian gambling company contacted him via the messenger. In exchange for the promise of easy part-time work in Russia, the deserter agreed to carry out arson attacks on the facilities of the Kyiv branch of Ukrzaliznytsia. His first task was to destroy a relay cabinet of a signal system that regulates train traffic near one of the freight stations in Kyiv.

It was established that the agent broke the door of the switchboard and used a flammable mixture to set fire to the technological equipment. After that, the offender filmed the fire on a phone camera for an intelligence report to the Russian Federation.

He was to continue a series of arson attacks on railway infrastructure facilities in the capital region. However, the SBU prevented the enemy's plan from being realized and detained the agent on the first subversion. During searches in his apartment, they seized a cell phone with evidence of his work for the enemy and the equipment he used for arson.

Earlier, one burned car in the center of Odesa led law enforcement to a serial arsonist who was preparing a sabotage in the SEC building. While the customer remains in the shadows of social media, the perpetrator is counting his days in jail. According to the investigation, in early February 2026, the suspect was looking for a part-time job via Telegram and established contact with an unknown customer. The latter offered him money for setting fire to cars, including those that might belong to the military, law enforcement, or commercial entities.

Кирило Бойко