In the Odesa region, a man who made a false bomb threat was sentenced to prison

The Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s verdict and imposed an actual prison sentence on the hoaxer, who had previously been given a suspended sentence by a court in the Odesa region.

According to the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the man was sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly making knowingly false reports about planned explosions.

Previously, the trial court had sentenced him only to a suspended sentence, setting a probationary period. However, the prosecutor’s office disagreed with this verdict, as the offender’s actions were systematic in nature and cast doubt on the possibility of rehabilitation without serving an actual prison sentence.

In August 2025, the 31-year-old man called the police and reported a bomb threat at a store in the village of Velykyi Dalnyk. During the call, he stated that law enforcement had only five minutes. The perpetrator was aware that his statements were false and deliberately spread information that could cause panic among the public.

During the search, no explosive devices were found at the scene. A few weeks later, he again reported a bomb threat at a beauty salon in the same village. That report was also unfounded. In September 2025, the man made a third false bomb threat. This time, the target was a police station in the Odesa district.

During the call, he claimed there were two minutes left until the explosion. The search once again confirmed the absence of explosive devices. At the time this crime was committed, the man had already been notified that he was a suspect in connection with previous false bomb threats. He was under house arrest. It should be noted that the suspect in this case has already been held criminally liable. In 2019, a court found him guilty of a similar crime.

Кирило Бойко