Mykolaiv court sentences woman to prison for preparing terrorist attack

A court in Mykolaiv sentenced a woman who was preparing a terrorist attack in the city. She agreed to a plea deal with the investigation and pleaded guilty.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court approved a plea agreement between the prosecutor's office and a woman who was preparing a terrorist attack in the city. According to the investigation, in February 2025, she made contact with a representative of the Russian special services via the Telegram messenger. The coordinator gave her tasks to search for, manufacture and plant improvised explosive devices to blow up critical infrastructure, buildings, cars, and to intimidate the population.

The woman agreed to fulfill all the tasks and even organized hidden "caches" with explosives at her residence. In March 2025, she arrived in Mykolaiv from Dnipro region and planted two improvised explosive devices on the territory of the Petro Mohyla National University dormitory: one under the bottom of a car and the other near a tree nearby. In addition, the accused installed a device with a camouflaged power bank for remote monitoring and activation of the bombs.

The court found that the woman's actions were aimed at creating a danger to human life, causing significant property damage and violating public safety. She did not complete the terrorist attack because she was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine.

The accused fully pleaded guilty to attempted terrorist act and illegal acquisition of explosives. The plea agreement provided for a sentence of 5 years in prison, taking into account the totality of the crimes. The court approved the plea agreement and kept the measure of restraint in the form of detention until the verdict enters into force.

In addition, the court confiscated several mobile phones and other material evidence used in the preparation of the terrorist attack as tools of the crime.

The SBU also detained a resident of Kirovohrad region who was cooperating with Russian special services. The man manufactured explosives in Mykolaiv and passed information about the Ukrainian military to the enemy. The device he prepared was used by other saboteurs during the attempted terrorist attack, one of whom was detained at the crime scene.

Анна Бальчінос