Severity of punishment is the only way to protect children: Prosecutor General Kravchenko on life imprisonment for a man who raped 10 girls
Kyiv • UNN
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reacted to the life imprisonment of a 56-year-old rapist who committed crimes against 10 girls in Odesa. He emphasized the severity of punishment as the only way to protect children.
The severity and inevitability of punishment is the only way to protect children. This is how the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko, reacted to the life sentence of a 56-year-old rapist whose victims were 10 girls, UNN reports.
The court process in Odesa, which lasted more than 4.5 years, has concluded. A 56-year-old man has been found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty provided by law. The court proved 26 episodes of crimes against sexual freedom. Between 2018 and 2021, his victims were ten girls aged 10 to 15 years old.
According to the Prosecutor General, the criminal deliberately gained the trust of children, introduced himself as a law enforcement officer, blackmailed them, and then, taking advantage of their vulnerability, committed sexual violence.
Prosecutors fully proved his guilt. The court supported the prosecution's position. Information about the convicted person will be entered into the unified register of persons convicted of crimes against the sexual freedom and sexual inviolability of a minor.
The Prosecutor General emphasized that "this verdict is a clear signal: crimes against children have no statute of limitations in public memory and no chance of leniency in court."
I have repeatedly emphasized and will repeat once again: the severity and inevitability of punishment is the only way to protect children. That is why, back in October 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor General appealed to the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada with a proposal to strengthen criminal liability for serious crimes against children, with the establishment of life imprisonment without alternative. These proposals are taken into account in bill No. 14124, which is currently under consideration by the Verkhovna Rada.
The Prosecutor General insists - "the state must be tough when it comes to the safety of children."
A pedophile or child killer should not have any chance due to the leniency of the law.