Two days in a coma after a "date": a serviceman was lured into a trap and they tried to stab him

A Ukrainian serviceman Vitalii in Zaporizhzhia was lured to a meeting via a Telegram account of a girl named “Ksyunka”, after which a man attacked him with a knife. The serviceman survived, although he sustained up to 14 stab wounds, spent two days in a coma and underwent about five operations. This was reported on September 18, 2026 in a segment of “United News”.

The incident occurred on January 17, 2026, when Vitalii was on leave after being wounded. Through a dating chat he began messaging with an allegedly female user signed as “Ksyunka”, who suggested meeting near the house.

When the serviceman arrived at the given address, a man in dark clothing and a balaclava attacked him from behind. He was identified as Illia Dotsenko. According to the case materials, he inflicted numerous knife wounds on the victim’s back, chest, leg, neck and head. Despite severe injuries, Vitalii resisted, tore the balaclava off the attacker, after which the attacker fled. According to the investigation, the perpetrator was offered $7 thousand to kill the serviceman before the attack. Previously he had already carried out other tasks from the handler: for 20 thousand hryvnias he set fire to the serviceman’s car, and he also received assignments to damage a railway facility.

After the attack Dotsenko informed the handler that he had allegedly carried out the killing. The handler demanded a photo of the body, however the serviceman survived. He was hospitalized in serious condition. On July 3, 2026 the Zavodskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia sentenced Illia Dotsenko to 15 years imprisonment with confiscation of property. He was found guilty, in particular, of attempted premeditated murder carried out on order and for mercenary motives.

The SBU stated that a fake female account was used to lure the serviceman, and that Russian special services were behind the scheme. At the same time, in the materials of the specific court proceedings the identity of the handler was not finally established, and the case against him was separated into a separate proceeding.

According to the SBU military counterintelligence, since the beginning of 2026 it has been possible to prevent more than 50 similar attempts to murder Ukrainian servicemen via fake acquaintances and “romantic” meetings. The SBU urges reporting suspicious offers and accounts via the chatbot “Expose the FSB agent”, by number 1516 or by email to callcenter@ssu.gov.ua

Previously we wrote:

• Prisoners are used for blackmail: Ukrainians are pressured to cooperate with the Russian Federation
• Photos, takeoff time and base location: SBU exposed a network that “hunted” for F-16 and Mirage 2000
• Poison in drinks and a 10-kilogram bomb: FSB agents were preparing a mass murder
• SBU detained an RF agent who attempted to carry out a terrorist attack in Mykolaiv
• “A ‘gift’ from a stranger turned out lethal: a 19-year-old RF agent is suspected in the murder of a marine”