What was hidden in Odesa Military Academy before the death of a cadet: details of the case

An investigation into the death of Pavlo Stovbun, a 17-year-old first-year cadet at the Odesa Military Academy, is underway in Rivne region. The boy was found dead on November 26, 2025, on the territory of one of the colleges where the academy's units were temporarily stationed due to the threat of Russian missile strikes.

This was reported by Hromadske.

His cousin Daria Melnyk wrote about the events that preceded the tragedy on social media. According to her, Pavlo and several other cadets were subjected to severe humiliation: they were beaten, forced to eat from the dirty floor, drink oil, vomit and eat it again.

"My brother could not stand it and hung himself on a statutory sheet," she wrote.

As the journalists found out, a few days before his death, Pavlo had indeed been bullied by other cadets. According to the cadet-officer telegram channel SLON FM, the conflict began after three freshmen, including Stovbun, allegedly stole several energy drinks from a store. According to the cadets, the management learned about this from the police.

The head of the location, Lieutenant Colonel Artem Kosenko, imposed collective punishment and banned all cadets from visiting the store. However, the sergeants - cadets with the rank of junior sergeant - decided that this was not enough. According to SLON FM, five sergeants forced three freshmen to eat off the floor and drink salt water, and then Pavlo Stovbun was beaten by a petty officer from another course.

Investigators have officially confirmed that two days before the boy's death, he was subjected to acts of humiliation, physical and mental violence. Some of the abuse was filmed on phones, and the videos were seized by law enforcement.

Pavlo's relatives say they learned about the problems at the school too late."When something happens to a child in an educational institution, parents should have been notified. No one called. Pasha himself called and said: "Mom, I'm in trouble," said Olha Melnyk, the boy's aunt and godmother.

According to her, the mother saw her son an hour and a half before he died. Pavlo then assured her that everything would be fine. Later, the woman was told that her son had allegedly gone to the NWC, and in the morning he was found dead.

In response to a journalist's request, the Odesa Military Academy stated that they had not received any official complaints about non-statutory relations or psychological pressure before the tragedy. At the same time, a preliminary internal investigation revealed facts of violations of military discipline, the use of non-statutory methods of influence, and insufficient control by the leadership.

They also added that the materials of the internal investigation would be handed over to law enforcement, some officials were temporarily suspended, and several were transferred to positions unrelated to working with cadets.

The Main Directorate of the National Police in Rivne region opened a criminal investigation under the article on incitement to suicide committed against a minor. The sanction of the article provides for 7 to 10 years in prison. So far, no one has been notified of suspicion.

At the same time, the sergeants involved in the case were released on winter vacation. The words "murderer" and "burn in hell" appeared on the doors of their rooms. The cadets, who agreed to speak anonymously, told journalists that the non-statutory punishments at this location were not isolated. They recall other cases of humiliation, physical punishment and silencing of incidents by the leadership. According to them, over time, the freshmen began to perceive such actions as the "norm".

Pavlo Stovbun would have turned 18 on January 8, 2026. On his birthday, the boy's father died - after his son's funeral, he suffered a stroke from which he never recovered.

The first-year student of the Odesa Military Academy was found dead outside the unit in late November last year. The incident is being investigated as a suicide, while the possibility of abuse of power is also being checked.

Анна Бальчінос