An enemy agent who set fire to a railway relay cabinet in the Vinnytsia region has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property, based on evidence collected by the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, the perpetrator took extensive measures to avoid detection. Before carrying out the arson, he changed his clothes in his garage and walked more than 10 kilometres to the target, repeatedly changing his route and avoiding CCTV cameras.

The SSU detained the agent in March 2025, within 48 hours of the sabotage, at his home.

Investigators established that the attack had been carried out on the orders of russia’s federal security service by a local contract serviceman who had deserted his military unit and had been in hiding for an extended period. While searching for illicit side jobs on Telegram channels, he came to the attention of russian intelligence operatives, who subsequently recruited him.

The FSB instructed the agent to destroy a relay cabinet on a local railway line in an attempt to disrupt freight transportation logistics.

To carry out the attack, the arsonist purchased a firelighter from a DIY store and transferred it into an empty water bottle to conceal it. Upon reaching the target, he broke open the protective casing of the electrical equipment, poured the flammable liquid over it and set it on fire. He then recorded the blaze on his mobile phone and sent the footage to the FSB as proof that he had completed the assignment.

During the searches, the investigators seized the clothing worn during the sabotage and a smartphone containing evidence of his cooperation with the enemy.

Based on the evidence collected by the SSU, the court found the arsonist guilty under two Articles of the CCU:

• 113.2 (sabotage, committed under martial law);
• 407.5 (unauthorised absence from a military unit).

The investigation was conducted by the SSU Office in the Vinnytsia region in cooperation with the National Police, under the procedural supervision of the Vinnytsia Specialised Defence Prosecutor’s Office in the Southern Region.