A 23-year-old resident of Kulykiv has been sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison for unlawfully taking a vehicle and theft from an electronics shop committed under martial law. This was reported by the Zhovkva District Prosecutor’s Office.
The court established that in July 2025, while intoxicated, the man stole a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van which its owner had briefly left on the premises of his farm in one of the villages of Lviv district. The vehicle was unlocked and the keys were left in the ignition. The defendant got behind the wheel but soon lost control, drove into a ditch and overturned the van.
A sobriety test showed that the level of alcohol in the man’s system exceeded the legal limit by more than tenfold. Law enforcement officers launched a pre-trial investigation into the theft of the vehicle.
While examinations and investigative actions were ongoing, in February 2026 the convicted man, again under the influence of alcohol, tore off a padlock from metal bars at night and broke into an electronics shop. From there he stole four mobile phones, three watches and almost UAH 5,000 in cash. The total amount of damage exceeded UAH 35,000.
During a search of his home, law enforcement officers found and seized three phones and a smartwatch; the man had lost the rest of the stolen goods on his way from the shop. He was charged with unlawful taking of a vehicle and theft committed under martial law (Part 2 of Article 289, Part 4 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The pre-trial investigation was conducted by Police Department No. 2 of Lviv District Police Directorate No. 1 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Region.
In addition to a custodial sentence, the court ordered the convict to compensate the vehicle owner more than UAH 284,000 in material damages and UAH 35,000 in moral damages, as well as to return the stolen property to the shop owner. The verdict will enter into legal force after the expiry of the appeal period.