Odesa: two sentenced to fifteen years over arson on railway serving the port
Two people have each received fifteen years in prison with confiscation of property for sabotaging railway equipment in Odesa, Ukraine’s SBU security service reported on 28 October. The arson occurred in February 2025. The service says Russian intelligence services commissioned it.
The SBU says a man from Odesa and a female acquaintance were arrested shortly after the fire in February 2025. The target was a signalling relay cabinet on a railway serving port infrastructure. The service now reports that a court found them guilty of sabotage committed by a group under martial law.
Investigators describe how the man contacted Russian handlers through Telegram channels while seeking income. In return for promised payment, he was to set fire to the railway equipment. He involved his acquaintance in the plan. According to the SBU, they bought an incendiary liquid and started the fire at about six in the morning.
The security service says the assignment was intended to disrupt freight movements towards the seaport. Searches recovered phones containing what investigators describe as evidence of contact with the handlers.
