A driver who struck a National Guard soldier at a checkpoint was convicted in Kyiv
Valery Nagayko, a 26-year-old driver, was sentenced to seven years in prison for a fatal traffic accident that killed National Guard soldier Volodymyr Zhudro.
Journalist Anna Mamonova reported this on Facebook.
The accident occurred in July 2023 in Kyiv during curfew. According to the case file, the driver struck military personnel at a checkpoint, resulting in the death of a National Guard soldier. After the accident, the man took a breathalyzer test—he was sober. In court, he explained that he had broken the rules because he was in a hurry to get home.
The defendant asked for the lightest possible sentence, claiming that his “life is falling apart.” In contrast, the victim’s family insisted on the maximum sentence—8 years. The prosecutor requested a 7-year sentence, and the court upheld that position.
It is likely that the parties will still appeal the verdict.
The case was heard in the Svyatoshynsky District Court of Kyiv—the same court where the case of former judge Oleksiy Tandir is being heard, who also struck a National Guard soldier at a checkpoint. Both accidents occurred in 2023, two months apart, and caused a public outcry.
Case materials and public discussions also note that the defense in such cases often builds its argument around the alleged lack of proper instructions for checkpoints and shifts responsibility onto the state rather than the drivers. In contrast, the prosecution emphasizes that under wartime conditions and a curfew, drivers bear an increased responsibility for complying with traffic laws.
According to data cited in the context of the case, 1,718 people died in 2025 due to speeding, making it one of the leading causes of fatal traffic accidents in Ukraine.
The deceased National Guard soldier, Volodymyr Zhudro, had served since 2014, participated in the ATO, and endured the first year of full-scale war. He died just days before his 50th birthday.
Earlier, the Kyiv Regional Police launched an internal investigation into the incident in which a man struck a TCC employee.
A traffic accident occurred at one of the checkpoints in the Odesa district. A soldier of the State Border Guard Service was killed in the accident.
