Failed to set fire to "Ukrposhta" — attend courses: the strange verdict of the Korabelnyi Court
Probation and courses: in the Korabelnyi district, the perpetrators from Telegram were not sent to a penal colony
Korablev District Court of Mykolaiv issued a verdict in the case of an attempted arson of the JSC “Ukrposhta” branch Mykolaiv-50, located at Bohoyavlenskyi Ave, 316/2. The incident occurred during the night of 5 November 2024, and the court issued the verdict on 7 May 2026. It became final and binding on 9 June 2026.
On the defendants’ bench were two perpetrators: a native of Odesa and his accomplice from Izmail, Odesa region. One of them had no prior convictions. The second was a minor at the time of the crime, had the status of an orphan, and had already been involved in another serious case.
According to the verdict, on 4 November 2024 both were in Odesa and agreed to set fire to a “Ukrposhta” branch in the Korablev district of Mykolaiv. They received the task from an unidentified person via the messenger Telegram. They were promised a monetary reward for the arson — no less than 20,000 UAH.
On the night of 5 November 2024, at approximately 00:01, the perpetrators arrived at the “Ukrposhta” branch on Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue. According to the court, they had pre-prepared means for arson with them and initially hid in bushes near the building.
Around 02:11 the men approached the stained-glass window of the branch, broke the glass and began pouring fuel inside. The verdict states that it was A95 gasoline A95 in the amount of 5.5 L. After that they tried to ignite the fuel, but ignition did not occur.
However, after the failed first attempt they did not abandon the plan. At about 02:53 the accomplice from Izmail began recording the events on his mobile phone, while the native of Odesa returned to the already broken window and set fire to the frame doused with gasoline. Such video recording looks like a typical “report” to the handler who ordered the arson.
After that both fled the scene. But already at 02:57 security police officers in the Mykolaiv region arrived at the branch. Using a service fire extinguisher they localized and extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading through the building.
As a result of the arson the glass and the frame of the stained-glass window were damaged. The property damage amount established by the court was 6,500 UAH.
In court both defendants fully admitted their guilt, confirmed the circumstances of the case and expressed sincere remorse. Their actions were qualified as a completed attempt to intentionally damage another’s property by arson — part 2 of Art. 15, part 2 of Art. 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The native of Odesa was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment. However, he did not actually go to a colony: pursuant to Art. 75 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine he was released from serving the sentence with probation. The probation period is 3 years.
A separate interesting point concerns his accomplice from Izmail. At the time of the arson he was a minor and had orphan status. The verdict also states that on 5 June 2025 the Darniytskyi District Court of Kyiv had already sentenced him under part 1 of Art. 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine to 5 years of imprisonment, but also released him from serving the sentence with a probation period of 2 years.
In the arson case of the “Ukrposhta” branch he was initially sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment. But taking into account the previous verdict of the Darniytskyi District Court of Kyiv, the final punishment was set at 5 years of imprisonment.
However, even this time there was no real imprisonment. The court released him from serving the sentence with probation, setting a probation period of 2 years.
The most unusual point of the verdict is the additional obligations for the offender who was a minor at the time of the crime. The court obliged him to participate in the probation program measures “Life Skills Formation”, and also to complete the training courses “Concerned: basic emotional needs and social interaction” on the online platform Prometheus and obtain the corresponding confirmation.
In fact, for a night-time commissioned arson arranged via Telegram, involving gasoline, video recording and fleeing the scene, one of the perpetrators received not a prison term but probation, “life skills” training and an online course. The court explained this by stating that his rehabilitation is possible without isolation from society.
In addition to the main punishment, both convicts were ordered jointly and severally to pay 31,438.05 UAH for the costs of court expertises. They must also reimburse JSC “Ukrposhta” the remaining material damage in the amount of 5,454.05 UAH. Part of the losses — 5,600 UAH — was compensated even before the verdict was issued.
This case once again shows how dangerous the schemes of “easy earnings” via messengers are. Unknown handlers find performers, promise money, demand video reports, and those who agree to the criminal task are the ones who later have to answer in court.
In this case the target was the “Ukrposhta” branch in the residential part of the Korablev district. And if the security police had not arrived within a few minutes, the consequences of the night arson could have been much more serious.
Previously we wrote:
- They hunted military vehicles: perpetrators of commissioned arson detained in Mykolaiv
- Russia is targeting children via messengers: in Mykolaiv a 15-year-old lyceum student stopped a dangerous scheme
- For money from Telegram burned a courthouse in Korablev: 19-year-old arsonist given a real prison term
- “Exposed” a girl and burned a bank in Mykolaiv: young man believed he was acting on orders from the SBU
- Teenagers set three Teslas on fire in Kyiv on orders of Russian intelligence services
