Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, a rising number of Russian teenagers have been accused and convicted of sabotage.
Cases are Classified
At least 20 adolescents, aged 15 to 17, are currently on trial for attempting to disrupt critical infrastructure.
Many of these teens come from regions along the Trans-Siberian Railway, a key route used by Moscow to transport weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian frontlines, according to Digi24.
Independent Russian sources reveal that nearly a third of the 66 people arrested for sabotage between 2022 and 2023 were minors. Penalties for these actions are severe, ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison, with life imprisonment as a potential outcome.
Despite this, Russian authorities often keep the details of these cases classified, and the names of those involved are frequently censored.
12 Years in Prison
Russia's Federal Financial Monitoring Service currently lists 88 teenagers — some as young as 14 — on terrorism or sabotage-related charges. While not all have been imprisoned, some are under house arrest or subjected to psychiatric treatment.
One of the most notable cases involves 19-year-old Ilya Podkamenny, who in 2022 halted a freight train and was accused of plotting arson at a military recruitment office.
He was arrested seven months later and sentenced to 12 years in prison, despite a lack of physical evidence. In a letter, Podkamenny stated his motivation: “I wanted to fight against the darkness.”
Other teens have also been implicated. Maksim Makhnev, for example, spent his 18th birthday in prison for extremist actions. Numerous others have been caught attempting to burn military offices or disrupt railway systems, often influenced by online groups promising money in exchange for sabotage.
