The soldier likely committed the crime for financial gain, hired to kill Demyan Hanul, a Ukrainian activist shot dead in Odesa on March 14, 2025. Evidence points to a contract killing, possibly by pro-Russian elements due to Hanul’s anti-Russian activism, including a $10,000 bounty. The suspect, a 46-year-old Ukrainian army deserter, was detained quickly with a weapon found at his apartment. His desperate situation as a deserter likely made him vulnerable to such offers.