Ukraine Detains Teen Over Suspected FSB Methadone Plot That Killed Two Soldiers

Ukrainian police have detained a 17-year-old girl in Zhytomyr Oblast on suspicion of helping Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, send lethal doses of methadone to Ukrainian soldiers. Two service members died, and police say they stopped four more killings, according to reports by Hromadske and The New Voice of Ukraine.

The National Police announced the case on Oct. 23. The agency urged service members to be careful about accepting food, drinks, medication or other substances from people they do not know.

How the alleged scheme worked

According to investigators, the organizers first approached Ukrainian soldiers on Telegram and offered them free drugs. Hromadske reported that recipients were told to take the capsules on camera. They did not know the capsules contained a lethal dose of methadone, a synthetic opioid.

Police say the teenager, acting on instructions from a Russian handler, packaged the drugs and mailed them using false sender details. Investigators say she was promised at least 5,000 hryvnias for the work. The two outlets give different dollar equivalents: Hromadske put it at $120, while The New Voice of Ukraine said $111.

Two deaths and four prevented cases

Two soldiers died of poisoning in Zhytomyr Oblast, according to police. Acting National Police chief Maksym Tsutskiridze said on Oct. 23 that two deaths are known so far.

During the investigation, officers identified four other intended recipients of packages. They were in Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. Police said identifying them made it possible to prevent four more killings.

The National Police also said the two soldiers who died had left their military units without authorization. The soldiers who were saved remained in service.

Charges and possible penalty

The teenager has been formally notified of suspicion of complicity in the premeditated murder of two people by prior conspiracy. She also faces a drug-related charge. Hromadske described it as illegally distributing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, while The New Voice of Ukraine described it as sending such substances for sale.

If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison. Police said they are also checking whether she was involved in other offenses. She is a suspect, and no court has ruled on the allegations.

What this means for service members and their families

The case points to a risk that reaches soldiers through ordinary channels: messaging apps and the mail. According to police, the approach began with an offer of free drugs on Telegram, and the packages carried invented sender information, so the true origin was hidden from recipients.

Police asked service members to be cautious with any food, drink, medication or other substance offered by unfamiliar people. They also asked soldiers to report suspicious approaches to police. The agency did not say how many other soldiers may have been contacted.

The case also shows how investigators say they traced the scheme. Police said they worked backward from the known deaths to identify other people who had been sent packages, and in four cases they reached the recipients before harm was done.

What remains unclear

Police have not publicly detailed how they identified the teenager or how many packages she is believed to have sent. They have also not said whether other suspects are being sought. The claims about the role of the FSB and a Russian handler come from Ukrainian investigators, and neither outlet reported a response from Russian authorities.

The investigation is continuing, including into whether the girl took part in other crimes.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Hromadske, The New Voice of Ukraine