Targeted a military vehicle: perpetrators of a commissioned arson detained in Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers detained two men suspected of a contract arson of a serviceman’s car. After the crime, the suspects recorded a video report for the client, but they never received the promised reward.

This was reported on 23 June 2026 by the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the Communications Department of the Mykolaiv Regional Police.

The suspects are a 36-year-old resident of Mykolaiv and a 45-year-old resident of the region.

According to the investigation, an unidentified person contacted the 45-year-old man via Telegram and offered money to set vehicles on fire. The man told his 36-year-old acquaintance about the offer, after which they allegedly agreed to carry out the criminal task.

The men purchased a flammable liquid in advance and searched for a serviceman’s vehicle.

On the night of 20 June 2026 they arrived in one of Mykolaiv’s neighborhoods. According to law enforcement, the older suspect poured a flammable substance over an “Opel Astra” and set it on fire.

At that time the accomplice filmed everything on a mobile phone camera in order to later report to the client.

As a result of the fire the “Opel Astra” sustained significant damage. The fire also damaged a parked nearby “Mitsubishi Outlander”, the owner of which is also a serviceman.

After the arson the men sent the client a video recording of the completed task and fled. The police noted that they never received the promised monetary reward.

Rescue workers extinguished the fire, and the investigative-operational group seized a plastic bottle with solvent residues and other physical evidence at the scene.

The identities of the suspects were established within a few hours. Investigators and operatives from the Mykolaiv District Police Department, the regional criminal investigation department, officers of the regional SBU directorate and forensic analysis specialists were involved in solving the crime.

Law enforcement also reviewed video surveillance recordings, including the city’s “Safe City” system.

During urgent searches, the detainees’ mobile phones containing correspondence about the preparation and commission of the arson, as well as other evidence, were seized.

Both men were detained in accordance with Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.

They were notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 28 and Part 2 of Art. 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — intentional damage to and destruction of another’s property by arson, committed by a group of persons by prior agreement.

At the prosecutor’s request, the court ordered pretrial detention for both suspects. At the same time, bail in the amount of 99,840 hryvnias is provided for each.

If found guilty, the men face up to 10 years of imprisonment.

The pretrial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Mykolaiv District Police Department under the procedural guidance of the District Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Mykolaiv.

Earlier we wrote:

• Russia hunts for children on messaging apps: in Mykolaiv a 15-year-old lyceum student stopped a dangerous scheme
• Teenagers set three Teslas on fire in Kyiv on the orders of Russian special services
• A female terrorist nearly blew up a military unit commander’s car in the Mykolaiv region
• Young Mykolaiv resident burned a car on Russia’s order, was cheated out of the money and sent to prison
• Mykolaiv resident set fire to military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the “Russian world” — received 6 years in prison