Ukrainian police have detained a 17-year-old girl in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, on suspicion of helping Russian intelligence carry out the fatal poisoning of Ukrainian servicemen.
Investigators allege she sent drug capsules containing lethal doses of methadone to soldiers recruited through Telegram, resulting in two deaths.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, the teenager allegedly followed instructions from a Russian handler and was promised at least 5,000 hryvnias ($111) for her role.
How the parcels reached the soldiers
Police said she packaged narcotics and dispatched them in postal parcels, reportedly using false sender information.
Investigators said the intended recipients were offered free drugs through messaging conversations.
After the packages arrived, the soldiers were instructed to consume the substances on camera, unaware that the capsules contained potentially fatal quantities of methadone.
While investigating the two deaths in Zhytomyr, police identified additional recipients.
According to the National Police, their intervention prevented four further killings in the Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
Maksym Tsutskiridze, acting head of the National Police of Ukraine, said the circumstances surrounding the victims highlighted the risks facing military personnel and their families.
The two servicemen who died had allegedly left their military units without authorization, while those who were rescued remained in service, according to the police account.
Tsutskiridze warned that offers of assistance, gifts and attempts to arrange personal meetings could be used to recruit people into operations directed by Russian intelligence.
He urged servicemen and their relatives to exercise caution when dealing with unfamiliar people.
In its public warning, the National Police emphasized the danger of accepting unknown substances or consumables from people whose identities and intentions have not been established.
Police advised servicemen and their families to preserve messages if someone pressures or threatens them to consume an unknown substance and to report the incident by calling 102.
Authorities also encouraged people to report suspicious approaches involving fellow servicemen, saying such information could help investigators intervene before further deaths occur.
The teenager faces suspicion of aiding and abetting the premeditated murder of two people as part of a prior conspiracy, as well as distributing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
According to Ukrainian police, she could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Investigators are also examining whether she may have been involved in other crimes.
The case comes amid repeated Ukrainian and Russian accusations that the opposing side recruits minors for sabotage and other covert operations during the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian authorities say they have opened thousands of investigations into suspected collaboration with Moscow since the invasion.
Ukraine also accused Russia in 2023 of poisoning Marianna Budanova, the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, who was then head of Ukraine's military intelligence and later became a presidential adviser.
Several Ukrainian military intelligence personnel were also diagnosed with poisoning at the time, according to CBS News.
