Details have emerged regarding the murder of a TCK employee: a suspect has been apprehended.
On Saturday, February 1, around midnight, a bus with military license plates stopped at a gas station on the Kyiv-Kharkiv highway near Pyriatyn in the Poltava region. Inside were a group of conscripts called up for mobilization, accompanied by three military personnel from the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (TCRC and SP), heading to a training center.
"At that moment, a man wearing a balaclava and pixelated pants, armed with a hunting rifle, approached one of the TCRC military personnel and demanded his weapon," reported the Poltava regional TCRC and SP. "After receiving a refusal, the assailant fired from a distance of 2-3 meters. The attacker took the weapon from the injured soldier and, along with one of the newly conscripted soldiers who was heading to the training center, fled in an unknown direction."
The team leader provided emergency assistance, called an ambulance for the wounded soldier, and alerted the police investigative group while taking measures to pursue the criminals who had fled the scene. The paramedics who arrived at the incident site attempted resuscitation, which unfortunately was unsuccessful—the soldier died on the spot."
According to Roman Istomin, a representative of the Poltava regional TCRC and SP, the deceased was 39 years old. He had previously served his mandatory military service but had limited military suitability, so he was called up for mobilization a year and a half ago and assigned to one of the TCRC and SP units in the Poltava region.
He is survived by a wife, two minor children, and parents.
"In a peaceful city, a civilian dared to raise a weapon against a soldier! Against a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Against a military personnel fulfilling his official duties! This is simply beyond comprehension," emphasized Roman Istomin.
Following the crime, a special operation named "Siren" was launched in the region. Within a few hours, the perpetrators were apprehended at the residence of one of them in the Lubny district.
— It has already been established that the shooter was a 40-year-old resident of Lubny, and his accomplice was a 36-year-old conscript from Poltava, — reported Yuriy Sulaev, a representative of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in the Poltava region, to "Telegraf." — The motives behind the crime will be determined by the investigation.
During an urgent search, investigators seized weapons: a hunting rifle and an AK-47 taken from the deceased soldier, as well as grenades.
In connection with this incident, the police investigative unit, under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office, has initiated criminal proceedings under three articles of the Criminal Code: part 1 of article 115 (Intentional homicide), part 3 of article 262 (Theft, appropriation, extortion of firearms, and ammunition), and part 2 of article 114-1 (Obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations).
The sanctions for these articles provide for imprisonment for a term of 7 to 15 years.
"The command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine firmly condemns this outrageous crime and expresses sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased soldier from the Poltava RTC and SP, assuring that his death will not go unpunished. The murder of a soldier while fulfilling his official duties is a serious crime and must be investigated promptly. Together, we must stop the criminals who threaten the lives of Ukraine's defenders," stated the website of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.