Zhytomyr Police Detain 17-Year-Old for Mailing Fatal Methadone to Six Troops

Two Ukrainian soldiers have died after receiving mail containing lethal doses of methadone, according to police who detained a 17-year-old suspect in Zhytomyr on Friday.

The unidentified girl was arrested in the city west of Kyiv. Authorities state she operated under the direction of a Russian handler and received a payment of at least 5,000 hryvnias, equivalent to approximately $111, for the operation.

Police described the method in a statement released Friday. The suspect contacted troops via Telegram and sent them parcels described as free drugs. The recipients were instructed to consume the capsules on camera. They did not know the contents were a fatal amount of methadone until it was too late.

Investigators identified additional recipients of the packages, an effort they say prevented four other murders across the country. The teen now faces charges for aiding and abetting premeditated murder in a prior conspiracy. She is also suspected of distributing drugs and psychotropic substances. If convicted, she could serve up to 15 years in prison.

Ukrainian police warned that the scheme aims to kill personnel and destabilize the country. They advised the public to avoid accepting medication, food, or drinks from unfamiliar sources. The statement noted that Russia seeks to disrupt the internal situation through these targeted actions.

This case follows a pattern of alleged sabotage involving minors during the war that began in 2022. In 2023, Ukrainian officials accused Russian services of poisoning the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, then head of military intelligence, along with several other GUR personnel. In the same year, Paris prosecutors opened an inquiry into the poisoning of a Russian journalist who had displayed an anti-war slogan on state television.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also referenced these threats. In an interview with The Sun, he claimed he survived no fewer than five or six assassination attempts since the invasion. Ukrainian authorities have opened thousands of investigations into alleged collaboration with the enemy and regularly detain individuals accused of working for Moscow.