Nineteen-year-old man detained after sending poisoned "gift" to Ukrainian marine posing as woman online

Law enforcement officers have served a 19-year-old resident of Poltava Oblast a notice of suspicion. According to investigators, he was recruited by Russian intelligence services to murder a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Zhytomyr Oblast Prosecutor's Office

Details: The suspect is accused of the premeditated murder of a Ukrainian serviceman committed for financial gain and in the interests of the intelligence services of the aggressor state.

The investigation found that the suspect received instructions from a representative of the Russian secret services via the Telegram messaging app. In exchange for UAH 5,000 (about US$110), he was tasked with organising the murder of a 23-year-old marine.

Investigators say Russian intelligence officers first contacted the serviceman through a social media profile, initiated correspondence posing as a woman and arranged to send him a "gift" via a postal service.

Following instructions from his Russian handler, the suspect supposedly purchased a bottle of strong liquor and, using a medical syringe, injected it with a previously prepared poisonous mixture based on methadone without damaging the packaging and sent it to Zhytomyr.

Unaware of the danger, the serviceman received the parcel and consumed the alcohol at his home. He died several days later in an intensive care unit as a result of the poisoning.

The suspect was detained at his home in Poltava Oblast and formally notified of the charges on 10 June.

Prosecutors are seeking his pre-trial detention while investigators continue efforts to identify other individuals involved in organising and carrying out the crime.

If convicted, the suspect faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

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