A 20-year-old saboteur who set fire to railway and electricity facilities for money was detained in Cherkasy Region.
This was reported by the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office.
From May to July 2024, the 20-year-old man received instructions via messenger to set fire to transformer substations and railway switchboards of important national economic and defence importance. The arsons were to be carried out to weaken the state's logistics under martial law.
The attacker tried to destroy 8 power substations and one relay cabinet in different locations in Uman district.
In this way, the enemy planned to de-energise most of the community and block railway traffic in the region.
To fulfil the enemy's task, the offender first identified the locations of the necessary’ power facilities and prepared the tools for the crime.
Then he hacked into transformer substations to pour petrol on the technological equipment and set it on fire. In case of destruction of the ‘targets’, the Russian special service promised him money that was to be transferred to his bank card.
At the final stage of the special operation, SBU officers detained the saboteur red-handed when he was trying to destroy a new energy facility.
During the search, the SBU found a petrol canister and a mobile phone with evidence of his correspondence with the aggressor.
SBU investigators have served the detainee a notice of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- p. 2 Art. 113 (sabotage committed under martial law);
- p. 2 Art. 194-1 (intentional damage to electricity facilities).
The offender is in custody. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.