Russian intelligence services have shifted their tactics, increasingly targeting vulnerable young Ukrainian women—including minors—to execute high-gravity crimes against Ukrainian military personnel. As stated by the Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivskyi, in a comment to Censor.NET, law enforcement has registered six cases of premeditated murder-for-hire orchestrated via the Telegram messenger since the beginning of 2026. One of these attempts was successfully prevented due to timely police intervention.
According to the National Police, Russian handlers employ a highly structured and cynical recruitment scheme. They reach out to young women through Telegram and other messaging apps, promising them easy earnings and remote coordination. The tasks assigned to these recruits involve finding Ukrainian soldiers on dating websites and suggesting real-life meetups. To facilitate these operations, the Russian handlers provide funding to rent apartments, buy expensive alcohol, and cover other entertainment expenses.
Crucially, the handlers direct the recruited women to pre-arranged dead drops (“zakladky”) to retrieve lethal doses of methadone. During their romantic encounters, the women secretly slip the methadone into the military personnel’s alcoholic drinks. Vyhivskyi emphasized that these acts are pre-planned, cold-blooded murders organized by the aggressor state’s special services, carried out by Ukrainian citizens.
The extreme cynicism of this method lies in the exploitation of young people, many of whom are minors who do not fully comprehend the legal or moral consequences of their actions, driven solely by the promise of quick financial gain. A tragic example recently occurred in the Zhytomyr region, where a Ukrainian soldier died after meeting a 17-year-old girl. She spiked his drink with methadone during their meetup, and he was found dead the following morning.
The National Police of Ukraine continues its systematic work to dismantle these hostile recruitment networks, identify the handlers, and prosecute the perpetrators. However, raising public awareness remains a vital element of national defense. Both military personnel and civilians must remain highly vigilant against suspicious online contacts, as the Kremlin continues to utilize highly unconventional and treacherous methods to target Ukraine’s defenders behind the front lines.