The murder of the founder of a charitable foundation at a playground in Odesa has been solved

The police have tracked down the man who shot and killed the founder of a charitable foundation at a playground in Odesa nearly a year ago—and they did so by chance, while investigating a completely different crime.

This was reported by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

The murder suspect—a 19-year-old native of Kherson —was not identified immediately. Investigators spent a long time examining various theories regarding the motive, including possible debt-related issues between the victim and his acquaintances.

However, the case was only solved when the same man came to the attention of law enforcement as a suspect in another criminal case. It was this development that led investigators to the crime committed back in December 2025.

During a search of his residence, a firearm was discovered, and forensic analysis confirmed that the murder had been committed with that very pistol.

According to the investigation, the young man had premeditated the murder of the founder of a charitable foundation in Odesa. He rented an apartment in the Kyivskyi district of the city and purchased a 9-millimeter Makarov pistol with six rounds of ammunition.

Knowing the time and location of the victim, the man took a taxi to the Primorsky district and headed to a playground near an apartment building on Fontanska Road.

The suspect approached his victim and fired six shots at his head and chest. The 45-year-old philanthropist died at the scene from his injuries.

The shooter concealed his face with a hood, which made it difficult to identify him from the CCTV footage. Immediately after the attack, he left his rented apartment and moved to another city.

The man is charged with intentional murder, as well as the illegal acquisition, carrying, and possession of a firearm (Paragraph 14, Part 2 of Article 115, and Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Ірина Глухова