Russia has detained at least 240 minors in terrorism and sabotage cases since start of full-scale war
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have detained at least 240 minors in connection with alleged infrastructure attacks, according to a new tally by the independent outlet Mediazona.
The most common charges stemmed from arson attacks on railway relay cabinets. The count also includes attacks on mobile phone towers, transformers, and military targets, including helicopters and aircraft.
Many of the detainees have faced charges of terrorism or sabotage. Some were never formally charged because they had not yet reached the age of criminal responsibility (16 years old, or 14 for certain severe offences). The youngest was 11 years old. According to Mediazona, those convicted received real prison sentences, starting from three years in a juvenile detention facility.
The human rights group Memorial has noted that in many cases since the war began, Russian security forces have invoked terrorism statutes without sufficient evidence as a way to sidestep age restrictions.
At least 205 of the minors had, according to law enforcement, agreed to carry out arsons in exchange for payment. Mediazona reports that the teenagers typically had no idea they were targeting infrastructure with any connection to the war; recruiters framed the jobs as insurance fraud or settling scores with business rivals. There were also reports of blackmail.
Russian authorities have blamed Ukrainian intelligence services for recruiting the minors. Mediazona notes that some footage of the arsons did appear on Ukrainian military intelligence social media accounts. At the same time, according to Memorial, sabotage and terrorism cases related to the war have increasingly involved entrapment by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
