Mykolaiv gunman sentenced to 8 years in prison for handing over positions to National Guard

Mykolaiv's Korabelnyi District Court has found a local resident guilty of illegally disclosing data on the location of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was reported by the Court Reporter with reference to the court verdict.

According to the investigation, in January-March 2025, the man corresponded with the administrator of a pro-Russian Telegram channel. In the messages, he described the locations of the National Guard soldiers and the positions from which the Ukrainian air defense system operates, and advised to check the area where it is based.

At the trial, the defendant explained that he had been in touch with the Russian representative on Telegram since mid-2023, and had been following the channel since 2022. It was from the channel that he learned about the consequences of arrivals in Mykolaiv.

According to him, the administrator once asked him to go to the railcar repair plant and see what happened there after the explosion. However, the man assures that he did not go anywhere, as he has hardly left home since the fall of 2022 due to the mobilization activities of the TCC. He claims that the plant area was partially visible from his apartment window. In addition, he heard from a friend that military equipment was allegedly leaving from there.

The defendant claimed that he wrote about the work of the air defense system so that the townspeople would understand where and why the Russians were striking and would have time to take cover. He also wanted the air defense system, which allegedly endangered his house, to be moved to another location. According to him, he transmitted the data because he was afraid that a missile would hit his home, and demonstrating "loyalty" to the pro-Russian channel could protect him from attacks. In court, he admitted that he was wrong and expressed remorse.

However, the court concluded that these explanations were contradictory, illogical and inconsistent with each other. The man was sentenced to eight years in prison. He had no previous convictions, but was wanted for violating the rules of military registration.

The court also sentenced another resident of Mykolaiv to eight years in prison. According to the investigation, from June to August 2024, using his own Telegram account, he corresponded with the administrator of a pro-Russian channel affiliated with the special services of the aggressor country. In these messages, the man reported possible locations of the Ukrainian military and the TCC.

Анна Бальчінос