He said he was afraid of mobilization: a man in Odesa region was sentenced to life for the murder of a police officer

The police stopped a moped rider who wasn't wearing a helmet, but he began to flee into a field

Цей матеріал також доступний:

04 Jul 2026

0 704

Izmail City District Court of Odesa Region 2 July 2026 sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of a police officer and an attempt on the life of his partner.

The accused — a native of the town of Tamysh, a citizen of Ukraine, married, with two children, was not officially employed and had no prior convictions.

As the court found, in 2014 the man bought for 1 500 hryvnias a traumatic revolver “Skat-1P” and 13 blank cartridges. In spring 2024 he drilled out the barrel himself and converted the revolver into a combat firearm fit for shooting. The man also manufactured 13 homemade cartridges with metal buckshot.

The incident occurred on 5 August 2025 at about 17:30 on a field road between the village of Saf’yany and the city of Izmail. Police officers noticed the accused driving a moped without a helmet and ordered him to stop.

The man instead turned into the field and began to flee. Later he lost control and fell off the moped. When the patrol Renault Sandero stopped nearby, the accused took out the modified revolver and fired three aimed shots at the policemen.

The bullets damaged the windows, doors, roof and interior of the patrol vehicle. Then the attacker went around the car and shot one of the officers in the back from a distance of approximately 3–5.25 meters.

The bullet damaged the officer’s lungs, aorta and other internal organs. He was taken to the Izmail City Central Hospital, but died the same day from massive internal bleeding.

The wounded officer managed to use his service weapon and hit the attacker three times. The second officer pushed the revolver aside, forced the man to put on handcuffs himself and called medics.

At trial the accused admitted to illegal possession, carrying and modification of the weapon, as well as to manufacturing ammunition. At the same time he denied intent to kill.

The man said he carried the revolver for self-defence because he feared that police officers or the military enlistment office might allegedly “kidnap” him and send him to the army. According to him, he only wanted to frighten the officers.

The court rejected these explanations. Body-camera footage, ballistic examinations and other evidence confirmed that the attacker deliberately fired at two police officers, one of whom was shot in the back.

The court found the man guilty of attempted murder of two people, illegal handling of weapons, their homemade conversion, manufacture of ammunition, and an attack on the lives of law enforcement officers.

Under separate articles he was sentenced to 15 years, 4 years, another 4 years and life imprisonment. By absorbing the lesser penalties, the final verdict became life imprisonment.

The convicted man was also ordered to pay 142,736 hryvnias 81 kopeck in costs for conducting examinations. He will remain in custody until the sentence comes into legal force.

The verdict can be appealed to the Odesa Court of Appeal within 30 days.