The Kyiv District Court of Poltava has issued a new verdict in the case of Pavlo Roslavlev, who was detained by local residents of the Polovka and Sadi neighborhoods in the first days of a full-scale invasion. The man was then suspected of setting up tags, and during the pursuit he stabbed two people.
On February 26, 2022, a local resident saw Roslavlev near a dam with suspicious markings. When he tried to stop him, he stabbed him. During the chase, the attacker injured another man. After that, he was hit by a car by a woman who happened to be a witness. The detainee explained that he was “going to church” and that he was carrying the knife for self-defense.
In October 2022, the court found him guilty under Part 1 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (inflicting serious bodily harm) and sentenced him to 6 years in prison. Charges of sabotage were not brought at that time.
In March 2023, the Poltava Court of Appeal upheld the verdict, but returned the case for a new trial. The ruling first mentioned the items with Russian symbols seized from the man, including a badge with the tricolor. The victims confirmed at the trial that they had seen it on the defendant's clothes.
Roslavlev himself did not deny this fact, but insisted that he did not put the tags and acted in self-defense. The victims claimed that they were only trying to stop him and did not pose a threat to him.
On August 21, 2025, the court found the man guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and imposed a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison. It was taken into account that he compensated the victims for the damage, and they did not demand a severe punishment.
No separate charges were brought for using Russian symbols. At the same time, the court recovered UAH 20.4 thousand from Roslavlev for the treatment of the victims.
The sentence is calculated from the date of arrest - February 26, 2022. Thus, the man has already served most of the term and can be released in less than a year and a half.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and can be appealed in the Poltava Court of Appeal.
