Promised $5,000: Two minors detained in Kharkiv on suspicion of murdering a military man

In Kharkiv, two underage girls are suspected of murdering a serviceman. According to the investigation, the teenagers acted on the instructions of a curator from the Russian Federation, who promised them a reward of $5,000.

This was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

“Unfortunately, we are already seeing that children are being involved in committing particularly serious crimes,” the report says.

According to the investigation, at the end of last year, one of the girls received an offer via Telegram to kill a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for $5,000. She recruited her friend to carry out the crime.

In February 2026, the girls invited a military man to a hotel under the pretext of spending time together. Before that, they received methadone through a mail-order company and, following the supervisor’s instructions, mixed it with vodka, which they gave to the victim.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the Russian supervisor was watching the events via video link and ordered the soldier to be strangled. However, as experts established during the investigation, the man had already died of poisoning by that time. After that, one of the suspects put a plastic bag over the victim’s head, blocking the air supply, and then covered his face with a pillow and held it down.

The girls filmed the task. After the crime, they destroyed the drug packaging, trying to hide the traces of the crime.

Law enforcement officers quickly identified both suspects. They are currently in custody.

The prosecutor’s office noted that the minors admit to the murder. Other details and their testimonies are not yet disclosed.

“This case demonstrates that Russian special services have no moral restraints and are ready to use Ukrainian children even to commit premeditated murders,” said Yuriy Papusha, head of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

It was previously reported that since the beginning of 2026, law enforcement officers have recorded six cases of premeditated murders organized by Russian special services via messengers . Another crime was prevented.

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