8 Years in Prison After Fatal Stabbings: Soldier Sentenced in Mykolaiv Region

A serviceman who stabbed an acquaintance during a conflict in the village of Trykhati, Mykolaiv region, has received his final sentence: 8 years in prison. The court found him guilty of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm that resulted in the victim’s death.

The Mykolaiv District Court of Mykolaiv Region issued its ruling on November 9, 2026. The circumstances of the case are set out in the judgment published on reyestr.court.gov.ua.

The defendant served as a gunner in an air-defense artillery platoon of an assault battalion. According to the case file, that evening he was hosting two acquaintances at home. The group was drinking alcohol in the summer kitchen. The host argued with one of the guests, after which the conflict moved into the yard and escalated into a fight.

The court found that the serviceman decided to beat up his acquaintance, went into the summer kitchen to get a folding knife, and returned outside. First, he punched the guest in the head. When the man fell, the attacker stabbed him at least 8 times in the buttocks and legs. The defendant then dragged the wounded man to the gate and onward toward a ravine.

One witness said he tried to intervene, but the serviceman threatened to harm him. Other eyewitnesses noticed bloody marks on the ground leading from the scene to the defendant’s yard.

Local residents later found the wounded man after hearing his groans and called an ambulance. He could not be saved and died in the ambulance. The cause of death was massive blood loss from knife wounds that damaged major blood vessels.

The deceased was married and had three children with his wife. During the trial, his wife said she believed imprisonment was the only fair punishment for the defendant.

The serviceman initially partially admitted his guilt, then admitted it in full. He confirmed that he had taken a knife and struck the victim’s legs several times. However, he denied dragging the wounded man toward the ravine.

During the proceedings, the court examined witness testimony, findings from forensic medical and molecular genetic examinations, and other evidence. The serviceman’s actions were classified under Part 2 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in the victim’s death.

In determining the sentence, the court took the following circumstances into account:

• the defendant is a contract serviceman and is raising his minor daughter on his own;
• his active assistance in solving the crime during the pre-trial investigation was considered a mitigating circumstance;
• a repeat offense was considered an aggravating circumstance.

The judgment also notes that the serviceman had been absent without leave from his unit since May 25, 2022, and committed a series of crimes shortly afterward.

For the fatal stabbing of his acquaintance, the court sentenced him to 7 years and 6 months in prison. The unserved portion of the sentence from an earlier ruling by the Mykolaiv District Court dated April 20, 2026 was added to this term, bringing the total sentence to 8 years.

The convicted man was also ordered to pay 43,121 hryvnias and 43 kopecks for expert examination costs. The judgment may be appealed to the Mykolaiv Court of Appeal within 30 days of its pronouncement.

We previously reported:

• Beat his common-law wife to death with a baseball bat: Mykolaiv region man made up a story for the police
• Alcohol, fists, and a knife: previously convicted serviceman back in court
• Mykolaiv court sentences serviceman who drove his beaten friend to a cemetery to die to 7 years and 5 months
• Stabbed and dumped in a ravine: domestic dispute in Mykolaiv region ends in death
• Murder in the Korabelnyi district: man stabbed his acquaintance to death during a drunken argument