The driver of the Mercedes that crashed into an underground passage in Kyiv, killing four people, has been charged.

Law enforcement officials have issued a notice of suspicion to the 49-year-old driver of a Mercedes-Benz who drove into an underpass occupied by people in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district on June 5. The accident killed four people and injured three others.

The Office of the Prosecutor General reported this.

According to the investigation, at around 5:00 p.m., the man was speeding, lost control, and crashed into an underground passage.

Two National Police officers—Senior Police Lieutenant Dmytro Bondarchuk and Police Lieutenant Denis Budchenko —were killed at the scene of the tragedy, along with a woman and a 12-year-old boy. Three more people were injured.

The driver himself was also injured in the accident. He is currently under guard at the hospital. According to investigators, the man was sober.

According to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources in law enforcement agencies, the suspect is Pavel Pleshivtsev, who is the leader of a religious community.

Investigators found that since the beginning of 2025, the man had been held administratively liable ten times, including five times for speeding.

The prosecutor’s office is currently asking the court to remand the suspect in custody without bail. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a driving ban of up to three years.

As a reminder, a fatal traffic accident involving a Mercedes occurred in Kyiv on June 4. According to preliminary reports, the driver lost control and drove into a pedestrian area.