FSB saboteur from Odesa sentenced to five years under two articles

In Odesa, a court sentenced a teenager who set fire to military vehicles on the orders of Russian special services. He was sentenced to a real term, and his accomplices have already been sentenced.

This was reported by the Communication Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in Odesa region.

According to SBU materials, a 19-year-old Odesa resident was sentenced to 5 years in prison for setting fire to military vehicles. He acted as part of an FSB agent group that tried to destroy the equipment of the Defense Forces.

In July last year, the SBU, together with the National Police, detained six members of this hostile network. For two weeks, they tried to set fire to more than 15 military off-road vehicles. All the suspects are local couriers aged 18 to 24, recruited by Russian special services through telegram channels for easy money.

Working under the guise of couriers, they drove around the city on scooters, recorded the parking lots of military equipment and sent photos to a Russian curator for approval. After receiving the command from the Russian agent, the groups would arrive at the designated parking lots at night, pour flammable mixture on the cars and set them on fire, working mostly in pairs: one would set the fire, the other would film the fire to report to the aggressor.

The court found the accused guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 114-1 (dissemination of information on the movement and location of military formations) and Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 194 (intentional destruction or damage to property by a group of persons). Thanks to his cooperation with the investigation, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Three of his accomplices who participated in the arson attacks were also found guilty and sentenced. The investigation was conducted by the SBU in Odesa region under the procedural supervision of the regional prosecutor's office.

According to the investigation, in June 2025, a 19-year-old resident of Bilyayivka received an offer from an enemy agent on Telegram to set fire to Ukrainian military vehicles for money. He received detailed instructions and an obligation to record the result on video.

The offender purchased a flammable liquid, poured it on a parked military Peugeot Boxer minibus and set it on fire, completely destroying the vehicle. He then sent a video of the fire to the customer, hoping to receive payment in cryptocurrency.

Анна Бальчінос