Zhytomyr police hold 17-year-old for mailing lethal methadone to soldiers
The teen was paid 5,000 hryvnias by a Russian handler to send free drug parcels that killed two troops and nearly killed four others.
By Olivia Grant ·
Ukrainian law enforcement officers detained a 17-year-old female in Zhytomyr on Friday. They accused her of working with Russian security services to poison military personnel. Two soldiers have died from the poisoning so far.
Police officials stated that the girl acted on instructions from a Russian handler. She received at least 5,000 hryvnias, roughly 111 dollars, for completing the task. The payment structure suggests a transactional arrangement between the local suspect and a foreign intelligence operative.
According to the police statement, the suspect contacted soldiers through the messaging app Telegram. She mailed them capsules packaged as free medication. The soldiers were told to take the drugs while recording video. The recipients did not know the capsules contained a lethal dose of methadone.
Investigators reported that two soldiers in the Zhytomyr region died after consuming the substance. The team identified four other recipients across the country. Authorities said this identification prevented four additional deaths. The suspect faces charges for aiding and abetting premeditated murder as part of a conspiracy. She is also charged with shipping psychotropic substances for distribution.
If a court finds her guilty, she faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. Police warned that Russian aims include killing Ukrainian citizens and destabilizing the domestic situation. They urged the public to avoid accepting food, drinks, or medication from strangers.
Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations of recruiting minors for sabotage since the war began in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have opened thousands of investigations into enemy collaboration. In 2023, officials accused Russian agents of poisoning the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, then the head of military intelligence. Several intelligence personnel also showed signs of the same poisoning that year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Sun in a recent interview that he has survived at least five or six assassination attempts. He made the claim after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The current case adds to a series of alleged poisonings linked to the conflict.
Source: CBS News
