Police Detain 17-Year-Old for Mailing Fatal Methadone to Six Soldiers

Ukrainian police announced on Friday that they have detained a 17-year-old woman in Zhytomyr for her role in poisoning six soldiers. Two of the men died after ingesting the substances sent to their units.

Authorities stated that the suspect operated under the direction of a Russian handler. She was promised a minimum of 5,000 hryvnias, approximately 111 US dollars, for completing the assignments. The arrest took place in Zhytomyr, a city located west of the capital, Kyiv.

Police reports indicate that the teen contacted the soldiers through the Telegram messaging app. She mailed them packages labeled as complimentary drugs. The recipients were instructed to consume the contents on camera. The capsules contained a lethal dose of methadone, a fact unknown to the soldiers at the time of intake.

Investigators identified additional recipients of the parcels, a move they said stopped four more potential deaths across the country. The suspect now faces charges of aiding and abetting premeditated murder by prior conspiracy. She is also accused of shipping drugs and psychotropic substances for distribution. A guilty verdict could result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Police officials warned that the Russian campaign intends to kill Ukrainian citizens and destabilize the domestic situation. They advised the public to avoid accepting food, drinks, or medication from unfamiliar sources. Ukraine and Russia have accused one another of recruiting minors for sabotage and poisoning operations since the war began in 2022.

Ukrainian authorities have opened thousands of investigations into collaboration with the enemy and regularly detain individuals accused of working for Moscow. Previous poisoning cases include the 2023 attack on the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, then head of military intelligence and now a presidential adviser. Several GUR personnel were also diagnosed with the same agent. In 2023, Paris prosecutors opened a probe into the poisoning of a Russian journalist who displayed an anti-war slogan on state television. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Sun that he has survived at least five or six assassination attempts since the invasion.