A 24-year-old Georgian citizen was detained in Kyiv on suspicion of setting cars on fire at the behest of Russian special services.
This was reported on May 19 by the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.
Investigators established that in early March the suspect arrived in Ukraine in search of part-time work.
“Through Telegram, he found a job that involved setting fire to Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles on behalf of the Russian special services. However, the man decided not to look for military vehicles, but personally pasted the Ukrainian Armed Forces symbols on civilian SUVs, and then set them on fire,” the prosecutor's office said.
In this way, in the Park of Partisan Glory, the suspect set fire to a “Cherry Tiggo 2” car and on Hryhorenko Avenue, a “Ssang Yong Rexton.”
Law enforcement officers reported that they detained the arsonist in a rented apartment and seized his mobile phone with evidence of correspondence with Russian special services.
The man was charged under Part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine with intentional damage to another's property by arson. The article carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The court chose a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of detention with bail set at 133,000 hryvnias.