14-year-old girl from Rivne to be tried for murder of Ukrainian soldier on Russian orders
A 14-year-old resident of Rivne is to stand trial for the murder of a 27-year-old Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman and the arson of a military vehicle, both allegedly carried out on instructions from Russia's FSB via Telegram. The defendant has been charged with premeditated murder on order and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Key points
- The defendant is a 14-year-old girl from Rivne; the victim was a 27-year-old Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman.
- The murder took place on 30 January in a rented apartment in Rivne.
- The girl met the serviceman via Telegram about 10 days before the killing, drugged him with a mixture of alcohol and a narcotic substance, and strangled him after he lost consciousness; she was on a video call with her handler at the time.
- The handler is a Russian citizen allegedly acting on instructions from an FSB officer; he promised the minor travel to Russian-controlled territory in exchange for the killing.
- On 11 November 2025 the defendant set fire to a military Opel Campo in Rivne on Russian orders, and was promised US$1,000, which she never received.
- She is charged under Part 2 of Article 115 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (premeditated murder on order, by prior conspiracy of a group) and faces up to 15 years' imprisonment; the arson case is prosecuted under wartime treason, obstruction of the Armed Forces, and arson articles.
- The curator and the organizer of the order have been identified; proceedings against them fall under the jurisdiction of the SBU, Ukraine's security service.
Why it matters
The case is presented by Ukrainian investigators as an example of Russia's FSB allegedly recruiting a minor through Telegram to carry out lethal operations inside Ukraine, including the killing of a serving soldier and the arson of a military vehicle. It raises questions about how teenagers are drawn into wartime attacks, and about the accountability of under-18s recruited in this way. Separate indictments for the murder and the arson have both been sent to court.
What happened
A 14-year-old girl from Rivne is to stand trial for the murder of a 27-year-old serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and for the arson of a military vehicle, both carried out on orders from Russia.
According to investigators, the girl met the serviceman in the Telegram messenger about ten days before the killing. On 30 January she went to a rented apartment, poured a pre-mixed alcoholic drink into glasses and added a narcotic substance received from the perpetrators via a logistics company. After the serviceman drank the mixture and lost consciousness, she strangled him, causing death by mechanical asphyxia. The strangulation was carried out while the girl was on a video call with her handler.
The handler is a Russian citizen whom the girl met on Telegram and who, according to the investigation, was acting on instructions from an FSB officer. He promised to arrange the minor's departure to territory controlled by Russia in exchange for the killing; investigators also say the girl had romantic feelings for the handler.
On 11 November 2025, the same defendant, on Russian orders, set fire to a military Opel Campo vehicle in Rivne. She was promised US$1,000 for the arson, which she never received.
The murder case has been completed by Rivne region police investigators and sent to court; the defendant is charged under Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (premeditated murder on order, by prior conspiracy of a group of persons) and faces up to 15 years' imprisonment. The arson was investigated by the SBU under articles on wartime state treason (Part 2 Art. 111), obstruction of the Armed Forces (Part 1 Art. 114-1) and intentional destruction of property by arson (Part 2 Art. 194), and has also been sent to court. The court imposed a preventive measure of custody, and the minor is held in a pre-trial detention facility (SIZO). The identities of the curator and the organizer of the order have been established; criminal proceedings against them are under the SBU's jurisdiction.
Background
The prosecution alleges the minor was recruited by a Russian citizen on Telegram who was himself acting on instructions from an FSB officer. Alleged incentives included a US$1,000 payment for the arson and a promise of being moved to territory controlled by Russia after the killing. The arson of an Opel Campo in Rivne on 11 November 2025 is treated as a separate offence prosecuted under articles on wartime state treason, obstruction of the Armed Forces and intentional destruction of property. The curator and the organizer of the order have been identified, and proceedings against them fall under the jurisdiction of the SBU, Ukraine's security service.