On June 5 at 5:30 PM, a Mercedes-Benz C300 traveling at high speed veered off the road on Chokolivsky Boulevard and crashed into an underground pedestrian crossing in the Solomyansky district of Kyiv. Four people died: 12-year-old Grigory Glushych, daycare worker Irina Lazareva — who left behind a son — and two young police officers, 24-year-old Dmytro Bondarchuk and 21-year-old Denys Budchenko. Three more people were injured.

At the wheel was 49-year-old Pavlo Pleshivtsev from Kherson region. He was completing a Bolt order — transporting a passenger who is now a witness in the case. The driver was sober, sustained injuries, and was hospitalized. On June 8, the Shevchenko District Court remanded him into custody until August 3 without the option of bail.

39 violations that no one checked

After the accident, the investigation established that Pleshivtsev's vehicle had 39 recorded traffic violations, mostly for speeding. In just the first months of 2025 alone, he was held accountable five times for speeding and five more times for other violations. In March 2025, he was involved in a traffic accident without casualties.

Despite this, Bolt knew nothing. As stated by the company's general manager in Ukraine, Sergei Pavlik, in a comment to Suspilne, ridesharing platforms do not have automatic access to state databases about fines and traffic violations by drivers. Pleshivtsev's account was blocked only after the tragedy — permanently.

What Bolt changed — and where the limits of these changes lie

After the accident, the company reviewed its internal rules for responding to complaints. According to NV, citing a Bolt statement, drivers can now be permanently blocked after at least two complaints about speeding or dangerous driving. The company also urged passengers to report violations more actively through the app or customer support.

«We are devastated by this horrible tragedy as much as society is. We express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died».

Sergei Pavlik, General Manager of Bolt in Ukraine

But the logic of the new rule hinges on passenger complaints — that is, on those who have already gotten into a dangerous car. Systematic violations recorded by cameras and police do not enter this system.

The state also responds — but without deadlines

The backlash from the tragedy forced the authorities to act. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is developing a mechanism for sanctions against systematic violations: after 10 recorded speeding incidents — license revocation, restrictions, or mandatory retesting. Minister Klymenko clarified that the level of sanction will depend on the degree of danger — exceeding the limit by 10 km/h and by 80 km/h are different situations. No specific dates for implementation were announced.

• Pleshivtsev had 39 traffic violations — Bolt had no access to them
• Bolt's new rule: blocking after 2 passenger complaints
• The Ministry of Internal Affairs is preparing license revocation after 10 speeding violations — without implementation dates
• The passenger who was in the car is a witness for the prosecution

The key question is not whether Bolt will block the next driver with dozens of fines — but whether ridesharing platforms will get real access to the violators registry before the Ministry of Internal Affairs adopts new sanctions. If these two processes proceed separately, the next tragedy will again be technically «unforeseen».