Ukrainians who committed arson on the orders of the enemy face life imprisonment

Prosecutors of the Kharkiv District Prosecutor's Office of the Kharkiv region approved and sent to court an indictment against two men aged 27 and 30 on the fact of sabotage committed under martial law and by prior conspiracy by a group of persons.

The suspects — two unemployed men living in the city of Merefa, Kharkiv district. 

According to the investigation, in July 2024, representatives of the Russian special services contacted them via the messenger «Telegram» and offered them a «job». It consisted in destroying by setting fire to the battery cabinets of the signaling, centralization, and blocking system on the railway tracks of JSC «Ukrzaliznytsia».

The residents of Merefa agreed to subversive activities against Ukraine. The enemy hoped that by setting fire to the equipment of Ukrzaliznytsia, it would disrupt the transportation of equipment, weapons and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the front line.

The defendants had previously monitored the train schedule on the track in Meref in order to block their movement as much as possible. Later, the dealers purchased gasoline, which they used to set fire to and destroy the contents of the battery cabinet of the signaling equipment.

In August, law enforcement officers detained the defendants for attempting to set fire to railway equipment.

The defendants are in custody. They will be tried in the Kharkiv District Court of the Kharkiv region.

The sanction of the article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of fifteen years or life imprisonment, with confiscation of property.