Lawyer for Family of Boy Killed in Karavaevy Dachi Crash Claims Driver Acted Intentionally

Tragedy in Kyiv

According to Главком: A devastating incident occurred on June 5, 2026, at the intersection of Vadym Hetman and Ushynsky streets in Kyiv. Driver Pavlo Pleshivtsev, operating a Mercedes-Benz C300, plowed into an underground pedestrian crossing, killing four people. Nadiya Chukhrayeva, the lawyer representing the family of one of the victims, has raised suspicions that the driver's actions were deliberate.

Pavlo Pleshivtsev, born in 1976 and a resident of the Kherson region, leads the Evangelical Christian Baptist community at the church in the village of Pidstepne. Following the crash, he was hospitalized with injuries and remains under police guard. A pretrial detention order has been issued for him. Yevgeniy Melnychenko, the suspect's attorney, argued that the reasons behind the vehicle's trajectory must be investigated. 'If it were simple carelessness or a conscious traffic violation, I believe the barrier would have stopped the car. We need to determine why the vehicle moved exactly as it did,' Melnychenko stated.

Crash Details

Those killed in the accident include:

• 12-year-old Hryhoriy Hlushych
• 24-year-old Senior Police Lieutenant Dmytro Bondarchuk
• 21-year-old Police Lieutenant Denys Budchenko

Three other individuals sustained injuries. Records show Pleshivtsev's vehicle had 39 traffic violations, and in 2025 alone, he was cited five times for speeding. In March 2026, he was involved in another traffic accident, though no one was hurt.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 286 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which addresses traffic safety violations resulting in multiple fatalities. The penalty carries up to 10 years in prison. Ride-hailing company Bolt has permanently blocked Pavlo Pleshivtsev's account in response to the incident.

Nadiya Chukhrayeva, lawyer for the victim's family, stated: 'There was a female passenger who was riding with him as a taxi service. I am not yet authorized to disclose her testimony due to pretrial investigation secrecy. But the picture forming for me is that the rhetoric and position taken by the suspect's lawyer in court are false.'

The tragedy at Karavaevy Dachi has sparked widespread public outcry, leaving questions about the driver's accountability unresolved. An investigation is ongoing to uncover all circumstances surrounding the event.

This crash stands out as one of Kyiv's most heartbreaking incidents in recent years, claiming both civilian lives and those of law enforcement officers. The driver's extensive history of traffic violations underscores the need for robust road safety systems and driver responsibility. The ongoing probe, focused on determining the causes and conditions of the tragedy, could serve as a pivotal step toward improving traffic regulations and preventing similar disasters in the future.

The tragic incident in Kyiv has raised critical questions about road safety and driver accountability. With the driver having a history of 39 traffic violations, including multiple speeding citations, it is essential to explore the implications of such negligence. For a deeper understanding of the events leading up to this heartbreaking crash, you can read more about the driver's previous infractions in a related article on the situation surrounding the underground pedestrian crossing incident here.