Saboteur sentenced to 7 years for arson of railway in Odesa

A man who tried to commit sabotage on the railroad was convicted in Odesa. The court sentenced him to 7 years in prison with confiscation of property.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Peresypskyi District Court of Odesa.

The court found the 24-year-old native of Donetsk region guilty of attempting to commit sabotage at the Ukrzaliznytsia facility in Odesa for a reward. According to the investigation, the man acted on the instructions of an unidentified person, allegedly connected with Russian special services.

The investigation established that on March 22, 2025, the accused received a message via the Telegram messenger with a proposal to set fire to an auto-locking relay cabinet on one of the railway sections in Odesa for USD 100. This equipment is used to signal and block train traffic.

The next day, the man bought a flammable substance and on the morning of March 23 poured it on the relay cabinet and set it on fire. However, the equipment was not damaged, and the accused fled the scene without receiving the promised reward.

In court, the man fully admitted his guilt, said that he had agreed to the task due to financial difficulties, and expressed sincere remorse.

The court classified his actions as a completed attempted sabotage committed under martial law under Part 2 of Article 15 and Part 2 of Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Taking into account his repentance, cooperation with the investigation and the absence of previous convictions, the court sentenced him to 7 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. The convict will be kept in custody in the Odesa pre-trial detention center until the sentence enters into force.

Recently, the SBU counterintelligence, jointly with the National Police, detained eight people suspected of sabotage on the railway in Odesa. According to the investigation, they set fire to relay cabinets, damaged signal systems, and one of the suspects even tried to blow up a railroad track.

Among the detainees are two brothers from Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district, young men from Podilsk, a pensioner from Izmail, and residents of Berezivskyi and Odesa districts. The youngest member is only 15 years old.

Анна Бальчінос