Since 2022, there has been a rise in criminal cases against minors opposing the Russian government’s policies. Many of these young individuals face long prison terms under “terrorism” charges.
Human rights advocates observe that such harsh repression was not seen even during the late Soviet era, reports German media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW). They stated that the current crackdown on dissent in Russia, especially among those opposing the invasion of Ukraine, now includes minors. Teenagers are sentenced to juvenile correctional colonies for terms ranging from 2 to 6 years, with courts disregarding their age and the often conflicting evidence.
DW has documented at least eight cases of minors prosecuted on politically motivated charges, often under “terrorist” articles, which permit criminal responsibility from age 14. At this age, minors can also be prosecuted for serious offenses such as murder, rape, and involvement in mass riots.
The youngest detainees so far are Timur, 13, and Sasha, 14, students from Noyabrsk in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. They were detained in September on suspicion of setting fire to an MI-8T helicopter, although no public information on their charges has been provided.
Yevgeny Smirnov, a lawyer with the “First Department,” points out that Russian law does not permit criminal charges for 13-year-olds, but the older student could still face “terrorist” charges.
In Omsk, 16-year-old students Anton and Roman were detained in September for allegedly setting fire to an MI-8 helicopter and now face two counts under the same article. Smirnov suggests more cases could exist, as most proceedings are closed, and parents often avoid public exposure.
“Some parents with pro-government views pressure their children to confess to alleged actions,” Smirnov notes.
He argues that minors are easier targets for law enforcement: “It is easy for them to extract necessary confessions from children.” Under “terrorist” charges, minors can receive a maximum sentence of 10 years in a juvenile colony.
As of 2023, Russia had 13 juvenile correctional colonies holding 842 minors.
From 1999 to 2017, human rights advocate Lyudmila Alpern regularly visited women’s and juvenile prisons as part of Moscow’s Public Monitoring Commission. She recalls, “Imagine, in 63 colonies across the country, around 25,000 children were held — space was barely sufficient.”
Additionally, a prosecution office in temporarily occupied Luhansk has sent charges against 19-year-old Ukrainian Ivan Semykoz to a Russian court, accusing him of “terrorist activity.”
