Mykolaiv region sold a tank machine gun and went to prison for three years

A serviceman from Mykolaiv region was sentenced for illegal arms sales and drug possession. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment.

This is stated in the verdict of the Pervomaiskyi District Court of Mykolaiv region.

The court sentenced a man who was found guilty of illegal possession and sale of weapons and ammunition, as well as drug possession. The man in question was a serviceman who served as a drone operator in a reconnaissance platoon.

The investigation established that the accused, while in the Kherson sector, illegally seized weapons and ammunition. After returning to the village of Kumari, he kept the weapons at his home.

In particular, he had a 1987 Kalashnikov tank machine gun (PKT), a tape with 250 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition with steel-core bullets, an F-1 hand grenade with a fuse, more than 1,100 rounds of 5.45×39 mm ammunition, 1,600 rounds of the same ammunition with increased penetration, and 437 rounds of 7.62×54 mm sniper ammunition with SN bullets. He illegally transported all this to his home and stored it there.

On March 26, 2025, at about 15:25, near his own home, the man sold a machine gun and a tape with 250 rounds of ammunition for 15 thousand hryvnias. After selling the weapons, he purchased cannabis weighing almost 57 grams, without the intention of further sale.

During the search of the house, another part of a machine gun, devices for drug use and ready-made drugs were found. The accused pleaded guilty, saying that he had brought the weapons from the frontline, and had collected the hemp in the forest and kept it "for himself."

The investigation indicated that the man had a bad reputation. Despite the fact that he served in the Armed Forces under mobilization, he left the unit without permission in December 2022. Since then, he has not had an official job.

Despite the fact that the crime was committed after his first sentence for drug possession (suspended sentence), the court did not take into account his remorse, full admission of guilt and the presence of two dependent children. As a result, the man was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in prison.

In April, a resident of Mykolaiv region was sentenced to three years' probation for illegal possession of weapons he found after the de-occupation. The native of the village of Kostiantynivka came across the weapon in a field and brought it home. The court took into account his sincere repentance, volunteer activities and support for the Armed Forces, so it imposed a one-year probation period.

Анна Літман