Police have charged a man with setting fire to his ex-wife's apartment, an act that could lead to a ten-year prison sentence for intentional damage to property.
The incident occurred last week in a residential building in the Primorsky district of Odesa. Local residents noticed smoke and called the emergency services, who extinguished the fire and alerted the police.
Investigators found that the 49-year-old man had committed the arson as a result of a conflict over property division with his 48-year-old ex-wife.
He broke a window, soaked a cloth in a flammable liquid, ignited it, and threw it inside the apartment.
Fortunately, no one was inside at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.
The police quickly apprehended the suspect, and investigators collected various pieces of evidence for forensic analysis. The extent of the damages caused is currently being determined.
According to investigator Oleksandr Kolesnyk, the man has been charged under part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which addresses intentional damage to another's property resulting in significant harm through arson. This crime carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison.
A court has ordered the suspect to be held in custody with the possibility of posting bail set at 454,200 UAH.
The investigation is ongoing, and all circumstances are being established.