"AI made me do it": man in Sumy region sentenced to 7 years for setting fire to military vehicles
In the city of Shostka in the Sumy region, a court found a man guilty of setting fire to vehicles belonging to Ukrainian service members.
Censor.NET reports this with reference to Sud.ua.
The defendant’s version
During the trial, the man said that he had allegedly acted under the influence of artificial intelligence prompts that encouraged him to commit the crimes.
The court treated these explanations critically and did not take them into account when handing down the sentence.
The actual scheme behind the crime
According to the investigation, the defendant made contact online with an unidentified person who offered him money.
He agreed because of financial problems and received instructions through messaging apps. The man deliberately located vehicles belonging to service members, set them on fire and recorded it on his phone as proof that he had carried out the task.
How much he was paid for the arson attacks
The crimes were committed in May and June 2025. During that time, two vehicles were destroyed.
He received $500 for each arson attack, for a total of $1,000.
Detention and sentence
Law enforcement officers detained the man while he was attempting to carry out a third arson attack.
The court sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
