Lithuania convicts 18-year old Ukrainian for IKEA arson ordered by Russian intelligence

A Lithuanian court has sentenced an 18-year-old Ukrainian man to three years and four months in prison for an arson attack carried out against an IKEA store in Vilnius last year. The independent Russian-language outlet Mediazona reported the verdict, citing its correspondent in the courtroom.

Prosecutors cited by AFP said Danylo Bardadym acted “in the interests of a foreign military service” and that Russia had been “aware” of his plans.

The Vilnius Regional Court found Bardadym guilty of setting fire to the store. Prosecutors said he and an accomplice, also a Ukrainian citizen, had been promised €10,000 and a BMW 530 in exchange for carrying out a series of sabotage attacks in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. The promised payment was never delivered.

According to the case file, an explosive device with a timer was planted inside the IKEA store in Vilnius on May 8, 2024. An explosion and fire occurred overnight. No casualties were reported as a result of the incident, but physical damage from the fire was evaluated at €485,519 (close to $530,000 at the time).

Bardadym and his accomplice then traveled to Warsaw, but they returned to Vilnius several days later to retrieve a bag containing explosives and detonators intended for additional attacks in shopping centers in Lithuania and Latvia.

Bardadym was detained on May 13 while traveling to Riga. The second suspect was arrested in Poland after setting fire to a major shopping center, according to a report by the Lithuanian outlet LRT.

The New York Times, citing Lithuanian investigators, reported that Bardadym is originally from Kherson, a regional center that was captured by Russian forces in early March 2022. Following the start of the full-scale war, Bardadym left Ukraine for Poland, where he was recruited by Russian intelligence. Communication between the teenager and his handlers was conducted via Telegram and the Zangi messenger app.

Bardadym’s trial began in the spring of 2025 and was held behind closed doors. The prosecutor requested a four-year prison sentence, while his defense insisted that Bardadym should be exempt from criminal liability after admitting his guilt and cooperating with the authorities. According to the lawyer, the fact that Bardadym was 17 years old at the time of the terrorist attack should have also been taken under consideration as a mitigating circumstance.