Preying on children via messaging apps: man suspected of sexually exploiting girls exposed

Under the procedural supervision of the juvenile prosecutors of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a 48-year-old resident of Dnistrovskyi district was exposed, suspected of luring children into producing sexually explicit materials online. Throughout 2024-2025 he built his own scheme for locating and sexually exploiting underage girls.

Investigators established that the man created several accounts in a messenger, met girls and corresponded with them while posing as a peer. After gaining their trust, communication, according to law enforcement, shifted from ordinary conversations to sexually explicit messages. Subsequently, the investigation alleges, he coerced the children into sending him intimate photos and videos, and in cases of refusal used psychological pressure and blackmail.

This concerns at least five girls aged 8-10 years from the Chernivtsi, Kyiv, Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions. Another child was abroad at the time the case was discovered. During a search, law enforcement reports, mobile phones, SIM cards, flash drives and computer equipment were seized, where photo and video files were stored that the investigation has classified as child pornography.

The man has been notified of suspicion of sexual corruption of minors, production of child pornography, recruiting children for exploitation, as well as receiving and possessing child pornography.

The suspect is currently in custody. At the same time, pursuant to Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Previously, we wrote

1. Lured children: a pedophile to be tried in Mykolaiv
2. “Tourists” for 200 euros: foreigners engaged in the sexual exploitation of Ukrainian children
3. In Kyiv region, a 22-year-old father to be tried who is accused of violence against pupils
4. Pervert in custody: stepfather raped his stepdaughter for years and forced her into incest
5. Horror in Kyiv region: mother photographed how her partner raped her daughter