Ukrainian police arrested a 17-year-old girl suspected of assisting Russian intelligence in poisoning Ukrainian soldiers by sending lethal doses of methadone capsules through the mail after contacting victims via the Telegram app. Two soldiers have died, and authorities identified other recipients in time to prevent four more deaths.
Ukrainian police revealed today (23 Oct) that they arrested a 17-year-old girl suspected of aiding the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia in poisoning Ukrainian soldiers, resulting in two deaths in Zhytomyr Oblast, west of Kyiv.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, the girl is accused of following orders from a Russian handler by packaging drugs and sending them via mail with false sender information, in exchange for at least 5,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, approximately 111 US dollars.
Police said those behind the plan contacted soldiers through the Telegram app, offering to send drugs free of charge. Upon receiving the package, soldiers were instructed to ingest the drugs on camera, unaware the capsules contained potentially lethal amounts of methadone.
Officials stated that two soldiers died from the poison in Zhytomyr Oblast; both had left their military units without permission. The murder investigation enabled police to identify other package recipients and thwart four additional assassination attempts in Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts.
The girl faces charges of premeditated joint murder of two victims, as well as distributing drugs and psychoactive substances. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Authorities are also investigating possible involvement in other crimes.
Maxym Sutskyrrydze, acting head of the National Police of Ukraine, warned soldiers and their families to be cautious of strangers offering help, gifts, or private meetings, as these may be enemy operations. He advised against accepting medicines, food, or drinks from unknown individuals.
He also urged anyone pressured, threatened, or forced to ingest substances to preserve evidence of communications and report to police via emergency number 102, emphasizing that reporting suspicious activity—even involving fellow soldiers—can help prevent murders promptly.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities say they have opened investigations into thousands of suspected collaborators and continually arrested individuals accused of working for Russia.
Earlier in 2023, Ukraine accused Russia of poisoning the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, then head of Ukraine's military intelligence and now an adviser to the president. Other suspected poisoning cases involving Ukrainian soldiers have also been reported.
However, the latest allegations remain under investigation, and there is no information yet on any court verdict in this case.