The abuser who killed a dog named Milka has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The verdict was announced by the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office on March 24. Until the verdict takes effect, the perpetrator will remain in custody. He also has the right to appeal the court’s decision.
In January 2025, a man in Kyiv beat and threw a dog down the stairs, resulting in the animal’s death. The perpetrator killed the dog in front of his 11-month-old daughter. The crime was recorded by security cameras.
The case was investigated by detectives from the Dnipro District Police Department in Kyiv. Thanks to the security camera footage, they were able to charge the man under Article 299 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which addresses cruelty to animals. The penalty for such a crime, committed in the presence of a minor, ranges from 5 to 8 years of imprisonment.
“The defendant did not admit his guilt in court but confessed to pushing the dog down the stairs. He claimed that someone else, possibly the neighbors, killed the dog. However, his statements were contradicted by the findings of the investigation,” the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office stated.
This is one of the few cases where someone guilty of animal cruelty has received a real prison sentence.
