Zhytomyr Teen Charged in Soldier Poisoning Case

Ukrainian police in Zhytomyr have detained a 17-year-old girl accused of mailing fatal doses of methadone to Ukrainian soldiers. The arrest was announced on Friday, marking the latest step in an investigation into a sabotage plot linked to Russian security services. Two of the six targeted servicemembers have already died from the poisoning.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody in Zhytomyr, located west of Kyiv. Police report she operated on instructions from a Russian handler. She was promised a payment of at least 5,000 hryvnias, equivalent to roughly $111, for each package she processed and sent.

According to the police statement, the girl contacted soldiers directly through the Telegram messaging app. She mailed them parcels labeled as free drugs and instructed them to consume the contents on camera. The capsules contained a lethal amount of methadone, a substance the recipients did not know they were ingesting. Two soldiers in the Zhytomyr region succumbed to the poison.

Investigators identified four additional recipients before they could take the medication. Police stated that this identification prevented four further murders across the country. The teen faces charges of aiding and abetting premeditated murder, as well as shipping drugs and psychotropic substances for distribution. If convicted, she could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Authorities warned that the scheme was designed to kill Ukrainian personnel and destabilize the domestic situation. They urged the public to avoid accepting medications, food, or drinks from individuals they do not know well. This incident fits a pattern of accusations from both sides of the war, which began in 2022, regarding the recruitment of minors for sabotage operations, including poisonings.

Ukrainian officials have opened thousands of investigations into alleged collaboration with Moscow since the conflict started. Previous poisoning cases include the 2023 incident involving the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, then head of military intelligence. Several GUR personnel were diagnosed with the same substance. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also claimed he survived between five and six assassination attempts since the invasion began.