Larisa Kozovaya11:34, 29.07.24

The oldest arsonist was 23 years old, the youngest was 18.

In Odessa, 6 local residents were caught who, on orders from the Russian special services, burned 15 Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles – the gang members worked as couriers for a popular food delivery service.

As reported by the press service of the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, all six defendants were “tied” to one “curator”. They were detained together with the police and the SBU.

According to the investigation, in one of the Telegram channels, a representative of the aggressor country offered the suspects to earn some money, to which they agreed. In particular, on the orders of the Russian curator, they were supposed to set fire to military vehicles in Odessa.

“The suspects drove around the city at night, where they tried to find parking places for the Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen. Having agreed on the coordinates and targets for arson with a Russian agent, they received an “order” to destroy them. They filmed the vehicles burning on video and sent it to the “customer”, after which they received money,” the press service said.

The enemy used the footage to create a false information pretext for Russian propaganda media resources about the activities of the anti-Ukrainian underground in Odessa.

The prosecutor’s office draws attention to the fact that for the arson of one car, the Russian special services promised a large reward, but in fact paid from 5 to 8 thousand hryvnia.

“It was established that during June – July of this year, the perpetrators set fire to fifteen Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles. The suspects are six residents of Odessa, the oldest of the group is 23 years old, the youngest participant is 18. During the searches, mobile phones, Molotov cocktails and bank cards, where Russian money was deposited, were seized from them,” the department said.

Now the court has chosen a preventive measure for the suspects in the form of detention without the possibility of posting bail. The sanction of the article provides for a punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years.

The investigation is ongoing, and the issue of additional qualification of the criminal actions of the defendants and the identification of probable accomplices is being decided.

As specified by the regional SBU department, fifteen SUVs were set on fire over the course of two weeks. As a result of a special operation by law enforcement officers in different parts of the city, all members of the enemy cell were detained almost simultaneously.

All of the detainees worked as couriers for a popular food delivery service. They came to the attention of the FSB as active users of Telegram channels looking for easy money, where they left their “resumes”.

“The defendants “closed” on one FSB curator, and during the commission of the crime they acted mainly in pairs. For example, one set fire, the other filmed it. Working under the “cover” of courier delivery, the defendants drove around the city on their own scooters, where they established the addresses of parking lots for Defense Forces vehicles,” the SBU said.

They then sent photos of potential targets to their Russian handler for “approval.” After a “command” from the FSB, the young men arrived at night at the military vehicle parking spaces, doused them with a highly flammable mixture, and set them on fire.

Now all six defendants have been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations).

The police added that the person who ordered the arson paid the perpetrators half of what he had promised. In addition, the “employers” resorted to blackmail, threatening to hand over all the correspondence of the defendants from the TG channel to law enforcement agencies in case of refusal to cooperate.

Arson of military vehicles

Recall that in June, teenagers were detained in Odessa for setting fire to a car of Ukrainian military personnel . It was said that since the beginning of 2024, the special services of the aggressor country have become more active in social networks, attracting people aged 13 and older to underground subversive activities. Russian special services employees promise minors generous monetary rewards for arson.

Thus, in Odessa, the criminal police exposed two guys, 13 and 16 years old, who set fire to two cars belonging to military personnel. The teenagers were detained together with two friends, 16 and 18 years old, while trying to set fire to another car.

(C)UNIAN 2024