The accused in the car bombing in Odesa, Serhiy Svyaty-Kholodnyak, during a court session. September 15, 2025. Suspilne Odesa
As reported by the online media Suspilne.
The Primorsky District Court of Odesa is currently hearing a case of a suspected terrorist attack that occurred on February 20, 2025. On the defendant’s bench is an 18-year-old Kherson-born Serhiy Sviatyi-Kholodnyak. The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police call him an FSB agent. The next hearing in this case took place on September 15, 2025.
According to investigators, in early February he received via Telegram a task from Russian special services – to organize an explosion in Odesa. According to the SBU, he manufactured a homemade explosive device with a yield of about 300 grams of TNT equivalent – inside a metal kettle, packed with nuts. For remote detonation he used a push-button mobile phone.
On February 20 the man left a backpack with explosives next to a Lexus GX470 SUV, which, according to the investigation, was used by a prosecutor of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense Sector of the Southern Region. The explosion damaged several vehicles.
Timeline of events and charges
After the incident, law enforcement detained the suspect “in the act.” During a search of him they seized a mobile phone that confirmed links to representatives of the aggressor country.
“According to the investigation, Serhiy Sviatyi-Kholodnyak acted on instructions from the Federal Security Service of Russia, transmitted through anonymous Telegram channels with promises of “easy” money.”
According to the investigation, the defendant’s actions were carried out under instructions from the FSB, transmitted through anonymous Telegram channels with promises of money.
The investigators classified the incident as a terrorist act under Part 2 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
At the preliminary stage of the trial, Sviatyi-Kholodnyak received a preventive measure – detention for 60 days, until October 9, 2025. The accused faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The case is being considered in the context of national security and the legality of weapon use, and prosecutors emphasize strict accountability for such actions.
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