Five Men Detained in Odesa for Organizing Sabotage and Arson

Law enforcement officers have detained five men in Odesa region who are suspected of organizing sabotage, namely arson attacks.

According to the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region, law enforcement officers found that a 21-year-old resident of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was recruited by enemy special services when he was looking for a part-time job on the Internet and involved four acquaintances aged 24 to 39 in the criminal activity.

In a conspiracy, they burned down two relay cabinets and a transformer substation on a railroad line, and were detained when they tried to set fire to two mobile phone towers and several buildings of local village councils.

The detainees arrived at the facilities by car, broke down the doors or windows, poured flammable liquid on them and set them on fire. They recorded their actions on video, which they sent to the customer to receive a reward. In the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers seized a number of material evidence.

The SBU investigators served all five men suspicion notices, depending on the offense, under Part 2 of Article 113 (sabotage committed under martial law) and Part 2 of Article 194 (intentional destruction or damage to property by arson) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The men are being checked for involvement in other crimes committed in Odesa region. They face up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Earlier, a 16-year-old boy who set fire to an Armed Forces vehicle on order was released from punishment by the court, but banned from using the Telegram messenger.

Prior to that, the Kyiv District Court of Odesa sentenced a young man who set fire to military-looking vehicles for money. The young man's father turned out to be a combatant.

Earlier in Odesa, law enforcement officers detained teenagers who had been recruited by Russian special services for sabotage. In Odesa, police detained two teenagers, aged 13 and 16, who set two cars on fire. They were caught along with two friends, aged 16 and 18, while trying to set another car on fire. Now the boys face up to 15 years in prison.

Meanwhile, the regional office of the "South" TRO forces responded to the massive arson attacks on military vehicles in Odesa.

Кирило Бойко