He stacked books in the middle of the hall and set them on fire: in Chernivtsi a man was sent to prison for arson in a synagogue
2 years in prison for a synagogue fire: in Chernivtsi, a man who burned religious books was convicted
In Chernivtsi a court found a 31-year-old local resident guilty of damaging the property of a religious community and later setting fire to the Sadhirska Synagogue. The man was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment. This was reported on 29 May 2026 by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office, according to Ukrinform.
The prosecutor’s office noted that the verdict was delivered following the public prosecution by prosecutors of the Chernivtsi City District Prosecutor’s Office.
“Following the public prosecution by prosecutors of the Chernivtsi City District Prosecutor’s Office, the 31-year-old resident of Chernivtsi was found guilty of intentional damage to the property of a religious community and hooliganism (part 2 of Art. 194, part 1 of Art. 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)”, – the statement reads.
The court took into account that the accused repented and fully admitted his guilt. For this reason, the provisions of part 1 of Article 69 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine were applied when imposing the sentence. As a result, the man received 2 years of imprisonment.
According to the investigation, the first incident occurred in late October 2025. At that time the man was on the grounds of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Chernivtsi and, as established by the prosecution, with hooligan motives tore down and damaged the notice board of the religious community.
The next crime occurred a month later — on 27 November 2025. Then the man broke into the premises of the Sadhirska Synagogue in Chernivtsi. Inside, he removed religious books from the shelves, piled them in the center of the prayer hall and set them on fire. Earlier the police reported that no one was injured after the arson and the suspect turned out to be a local resident.
The fire engulfed part of the premises. As a result of the blaze, religious books, the stage and the lectern were destroyed. Wall and ceiling paintings were also damaged.
In court the accused confirmed the circumstances of both crimes and expressed remorse. After that the court imposed a sentence of 2 years of imprisonment.
