For the contract killing of a serviceman: a 14-year-old girl to stand trial in Rivne

In Rivne, an indictment has been submitted to court against a 14-year-old girl in a case involving the murder of a 27-year-old member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The pre-trial investigation has been completed. The minor is charged with premeditated murder for hire and murder committed by a group of persons acting in collusion.

The charges were brought under paragraphs 11 and 12 of Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The girl faces up to 15 years in prison.

According to investigators, she was recruited into the crime by a Russian citizen whom she met on Telegram. He was acting on instructions from an officer of Russia’s FSB and offered her methadone to poison the Ukrainian serviceman. In exchange, the handler promised to arrange for the girl to travel to territory controlled by Russian forces.

Investigators established that on January 30, the minor went to a rented apartment and prepared alcoholic drinks, adding a narcotic substance to them. She had received it through a logistics company. Later, a serviceman arrived at the apartment. The girl had met him online about ten days before the incident.

After drinking the mixture, the man lost consciousness. According to investigators, the girl strangled him while on a video call with her handler. The cause of death was mechanical asphyxia.

Criminal investigation officers promptly detained the minor. The court ordered her to be held in custody as a preventive measure.

Another case concerns the arson of a military Opel Campo in Rivne on November 11. Investigators established the girl’s involvement in the incident. She had been promised $1,000 for setting the vehicle on fire, but did not receive the money.

In this separate case, the minor is charged with:

• high treason committed under martial law;
• obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• intentional destruction of another person’s property by arson.

The case materials have also been submitted to court.

Law enforcement officers identified the suspected handler and organizer of the murder. The criminal proceedings against them are being handled by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The documentation of the unlawful activities was carried out by:

• police investigators — who directly documented the unlawful activities;
• SBU units — which provided operational support;
• the Rivne Regional Prosecutor’s Office — which supervised the proceedings.

We wrote earlier:

• The SBU detained a 16-year-old Russian agent who made an explosive device for a terrorist attack in Khmelnytskyi
• Russia is recruiting Ukrainian girls via Telegram to murder military personnel, says Vyhivskyi
• Russia is targeting children on messaging apps: in Mykolaiv, a 15-year-old high school student thwarted a dangerous scheme
• Are Russians asking you to commit a crime? Stop it through the SBU chatbot