Explosion at Ukrposhta sorting center: Police detain suspect

According to Ukrinform, the Kyiv police reported this on Facebook.

The suspect is a 40-year-old resident of Ternopil who attempted to send ammunition as a souvenir.

Police recalled that on the evening of October 30, an explosion occurred at a Ukrposhta sorting center in the Solomianskyi district of the capital during an inspection of a parcel.

As a result of the incident, five people were injured — employees of the postal branch and customs service specialists.

During the inspection of the scene, the investigative team, bomb technicians, and police dog handlers discovered remnants of a shell.

Law enforcement officers, together with customs officers, also found another dangerous parcel in the sorting center containing decommissioned ammunition.

Kyiv police, in cooperation with the Ternopil police, detained the 40-year-old man at his place of residence.

During a search of his apartment, officers seized about a dozen more ammunition items. Preliminary findings indicate that the man made souvenirs from ammunition by engraving them and sending them through postal services.

Kyiv police investigators have launched criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives.

The article provides for a penalty of up to seven years of imprisonment.

Police remind the public that ammunition, weapons, explosives, and their components are not souvenirs or toys. Their storage, transfer, or shipment is dangerous to life and entails criminal liability.

As Ukrinform reported, on October 30, an explosion occurred at the Ukrposhta customs post of the Kyiv Customs Service during the inspection of outbound international parcels. The blast was caused by an unidentified item contained inside a parcel.