In Odesa, a man was sentenced to 6 years for setting fire to a relay cabinet and a military vehicle

In Odesa, a man was sentenced to six years in prison for setting fire to a Ukrzaliznytsia relay cabinet and a car used by a military servicemember. According to the case file, he acted on instructions from a Telegram user and was expecting to be paid.

The verdict was handed down by the Khadzhibey District Court of Odesa. The court approved a plea agreement between the defendant and the prosecutor.

According to the prosecution, the man agreed, in exchange for payment, to set fire to railway infrastructure facilities in Odesa and the surrounding region. On August 24, 2024, he and an acquaintance set fire to a relay cabinet near the entrance signal at the “Odesa-Zastava-1” station. The man recorded the arson on his phone to send the video to the client. The damages to“Ukrzaliznytsia” were estimated at 594.67 hryvnias.

Another incident occurred on September 10, 2024. The man and an accomplice located a camouflage-painted Volkswagen Transporter used by a military servicemember, photographed it, and sent the photo to the client via Telegram. After receiving approval, they set the vehicle on fire.

The vehicle belonged to the “Pishchany People” charitable foundation. It was beyond repair, and the damages amounted to 155,709 hryvnias.

The defendant pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and agreed to cooperate with the investigation to identify other individuals involved. The court also took into account the absence of prior convictions and a voluntary charitable donation to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

For the aggregate of criminal offenses, the man was sentenced to six years of imprisonment without confiscation of property. At the same time, the Xiaomi Redmi phone used during the crimes was confiscated as state revenue. The convicted man will also be required to pay over 20,600 hryvnias in expenses for forensic examinations.

Ірина Глухова