Pro-Kremlin taxi driver sentenced to lengthy prison term for stabbing

The Harju County Court has sentenced Kremlin-supporting taxi driver Vitali Tretjak to a long prison term for stabbing a Ukrainian passenger. Photo: Sander Ilvest

The Harju County Court in Estonia has sentenced Kremlin-supporting taxi driver Vitali Tretjak to a long prison term for stabbing a Ukrainian passenger during a drinking session after the passenger revealed that his brother and nephew were fighting on Ukraine's side.

Tretjak met Ukrainian national Viktor while providing taxi services on Jan. 13 this year. After getting acquainted, the two decided to have a drink together at Tretjak's apartment in Maardu.

During their conversation, Viktor mentioned that his brother and nephew were fighting in the war on Ukraine's side. This statement enraged Tretjak, who, according to the prosecutor, stabbed Viktor 32 times in various parts of the body, driven by ethnic hatred, inflicting life-threatening injuries on him.

Despite his severe injuries, Viktor managed to escape, sustaining additional stab wounds in the process.

«There were no other motives for the conflict. I do not remember exactly what he said to me, but the only thing I recall is him saying, 'You need to be killed',» Viktor recounted in October, vaguely remembering the moment before he found himself covered in blood in the stairwell.

The hearing took place at Harju County Court on Monday morning. The court confirmed that there was no dispute regarding Tretjak's actions, including stabbing the victim 32 times with a cheese knife, four of which were deemed life-threatening. The court noted that Tretjak generally gets along well with others and has not had previous issues with neighbors, but the discussion about the war in Ukraine angered him while intoxicated. The conflict stemmed from differing worldviews regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The court sentenced Tretjak to six years of real imprisonment, with the sentence officially starting from Jan. 13.