Odesa law enforcement detains three arsonists of administrative buildings

Police and the Security Service of Ukraine detained three residents of Odesa region, two of whom are teenagers, on suspicion of setting fire to a post office in Odesa district, allegedly on the order of a curator from the Russian Federation.

This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in Odesa region.

The detainees are 15, 17, and 20 years old, and as law enforcement officers found out, the youngest of them received the order. He received an order from an unidentified person via one of the messengers to set fire to a post office in Odesa district for a monetary reward. The teenager involved two friends in his illegal activities. Arriving at the post office building in the evening, they poured flammable liquid on it and set it on fire. They filmed the whole thing on a smartphone as evidence to obtain money, and then left the crime scene.

The police seized a number of evidence of illegal activities at the suspects' residences and at the scene of the arson, including residues of fuel and lubricants, mobile phones, clothing and other items of interest to the investigation.

The SBU also established the involvement of the 17-year-old in the terrorist attack in the capital. After his detention in Odesa, he was handed over to investigators in Kyiv, who served him a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Currently, investigators have served the 15-year-old and 20-year-old with a notice of suspicion of intentional damage to property committed by arson by a group of persons.

The court placed the youngest arsonist under round-the-clock house arrest for the duration of the pre-trial investigation, and the older ones were placed in a pre-trial detention center. They face a sentence of 10 years in prison.

Odesa police also established the involvement of the detainees in the arson of a post office in Mykolaiv. The issue of serving them with a notice of suspicion is being resolved.

Кирило Бойко