Man who mined road to stop Russian troops convicted in Sumy region
- Svitlana Ivanchenko
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17:16, 20 May, 2025
Vitalii Kukol. Photo: Suspilne. Sumy.In Sumy region, a court found Vitalii Kukol, a resident of the village of Kamianka, guilty of making explosives on his own in March 2022 and mining the path of Russian troops to protect his home village from invasion.
According to «Suspilne», the man was found partially guilty of illegal handling of explosives. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released on probation for one year.
Together with his fellow villagers, Kukol prepared the defence of Kamianka and cooperated with the 93rd Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces «Kholodnyi Yar». To block the Russian convoy, he made two landmines with his own hands, using explosives found at old German positions.
According to him, he did this in order to cut off the road to his village during the movement of Russian troops.
«There were wires down there, and two landmines, one on one side and one on the other. I had been digging up German positions there, and there was plenty of explosives. I made explosives on the basis of this, and initially there were my own fuses. But my own ones can misfire. I'm sitting here waiting to see if it will work or not,» the man said.
To improve the design, he turned to the soldiers of the 93rd Brigade for detonators. After the explosive devices were installed, the man stayed at the position and stood guard for four nights in the March cold, waiting for the enemy columns to move.
«It's cold, I'm freezing, I'm warming the battery with my belly to keep it from running out. This is where I lost the last of my health, under these fir trees... And then I started raiding: as soon as I hear a sound, I run,» Vitalii Kukol recalled.
In addition to mining the road, Vitalii Kukol helped evacuate people from the occupied Trostianets. According to him, at least 21 people were rescued via his route.
He also made a homemade single-shot rifle out of a cattle drinker pipe, underwater gun parts, gunpowder and stones and nails. This «device» was supposed to be his personal weapon in the event of a direct confrontation with the enemy.
On 15 May, court hearings were held, during which Vitalii Kukol said that the state did not provide him with weapons for defence.
«The state did not give me weapons, and how was I supposed to defend my family and community? By killing the enemy with my finger, right? Bang — you're dead, right? That's why I made the weapon — to defend Ukraine. That's what the police and those who fled should have done. Therefore, dear court, I ask you to make a fair decision and acquit me,» Vitalii Kukol said.
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