Ukraine teenager to stand trial for killing soldier on Russian orders

A 14-year-old girl in the Rivne region of western Ukraine will stand trial for the premeditated murder of a 27-year-old Ukrainian soldier. Investigators have completed their probe and submitted an indictment to the court.

According to police, the teenager was recruited via Telegram by a Russian citizen acting on instructions from an employee of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The investigation alleges the girl was motivated by romantic feelings for her handler, who promised to facilitate her travel to Russian-controlled territory following the assignment.

On January 30, the girl allegedly prepared drinks laced with methadone, which had been sent via a delivery service, and served them to the soldier at a rented apartment. After the victim lost consciousness, the girl strangled him while participating in a video call with her handler. The cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia. The teenager remains in pretrial detention.