Someone else's car without keys? No problem: in Mykolaiv they detained a resourceful 'driver'

In Mykolaiv, police detained a 26-year-old man suspected of illegally seizing a Ford Courier van. The stolen vehicle was located by law enforcement within a few hours and has already been returned to its owner. The Mykolaiv Oblast police reported this on July 8, 2026.

A report of the vehicle’s disappearance was received on the 102 emergency line on the morning of July 7. According to the 34-year-old owner, the previous evening he had parked the van near a residential building on Soborna Street, and in the morning he did not find it there. Law enforcement established that around midnight the man noticed the unlocked vehicle, started the engine without keys and drove around the city. Later he arrived home in the stolen vehicle in the Varvarivka neighborhood.

The van’s route was traced using CCTV cameras connected to the «Safe City» system. As a result of operational measures, police found the vehicle and detained the suspect, who had previously come to the attention of law enforcement. The man was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He was notified of suspicion under part 1 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — unlawful seizure of a vehicle. The article’s sanction provides for up to five years imprisonment. The court is expected to decide on a preventive measure for the suspect in the near future. The pretrial investigation is ongoing.

Earlier we wrote:

• In the Korabelnyi district a man took an unlocked Lexus and drove home
• In Mykolaiv region a young man stole a neighbor’s car and fell asleep in it seven kilometers later
• An intoxicated thief rammed three cars and a pole: a dangerous road accident occurred in Mykolaiv region
• A drunk man stole a car to go buy alcohol and caused an accident
• He asked a woman for a drink — meanwhile he stole her Nexia
• A drunk thief tried to flee Mykolaiv in a ZAZ but got lost on the roundabout