"Turned in" a girl and set fire to a bank in Mykolaiv: young man believed he was acting on orders from the SBU

The court placed the 22-year-old suspect under house arrest

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19 Apr 2026

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In Mykolaiv, the Central District Court considered a petition to determine a preventive measure for a 22-year-old resident of one of the villages of the Bashtanka district, who is suspected of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional destruction or damage of another’s property that caused large-scale harm, committed by arson, explosion, or another generally dangerous method).

According to the case materials, on the evening of April 11, 2026 the man, using gasoline, set fire to the doors and facade of a branch of one of the banks on Central Avenue (night arson in central Mykolaiv: the bank nearly burned down completely). As a result of the fire, the entrance doors were completely destroyed. The perpetrator was detained by law enforcement the very next day.

The prosecutor insisted on detention, but during the hearing the suspect explained his version of events. According to him, he met a girl through a dating site and arranged a meeting. While he was waiting, an unknown person called him, claiming to be an employee of the SBU, asked for the girl’s address and asserted that investigative actions were being carried out against her. The man believed him because the interlocutor spoke Ukrainian and his account had SBU insignia.

Later the 22-year-old man was told to buy a jerrycan and five liters of gasoline at a gas station and was sent money to his bank account. The interlocutor ordered the young man to pour gasoline on the doors and porch of the bank branch and set it on fire.

The suspect noted that this carries criminal liability, but the interlocutor said that all services had been warned and that this was necessary to “lure an FSB officer“ who was in the branch. The young man set the fire, following orders, turned on the camera and showed the fire. After that the interlocutor blocked him.

The explanations provided by the man are partially confirmed by information from his phone. The court also examined the testimony of gas station employees where the suspect bought fuel. They noted that they remembered him because of his strange behavior: he was intoxicated and openly said that he was following SBU instructions and intended to set the bank on fire.

Following the review of the case, the judge decided to apply a preventive measure to the suspect (for the duration of the investigation) in the form of 24-hour house arrest.

The sanction of the charged article provides for a punishment of from 3 to 10 years of imprisonment.