Why do young Russians become ‘saboteurs’? – DW – 27.10.2024

Russia has seen an increasing number of acts of sabotage, mostly against the railway and the military, in which minors were the culprits.

Authorities claim on social media networks that young people were recruited by “pro-Ukrainian administrators” to carry out such operations.

Authorities now use propaganda videos to threaten young saboteurs. The draft law will make it possible to punish even 14-year-old children for sabotage. At the same time, human rights advocates warned that Russian security forces could act as provocateurs.

DW tracked several legal actions against young Russians and also contacted a channel on the Telegram messaging app offering money for arson attacks on military equipment.

Flyers with QR codes attract the attention of young people

A small bus stops in a residential area of ​​the southern city of Omsk. Six armed men from a special unit jump out and run into a house, where they break down the door of an apartment building and find two young men. They push them to the ground and interrogate them.

In this video shot by security forces and distributed on Telegram channels, young people admit that they set fire to a military helicopter. It is said that they were offered $20,000 (€18,500) by an unknown person via Telegram, but they did not receive the money.

A criminal investigation was launched on suspicion of terrorism and the children now face at least two months of detention.

According to officials, on September 21, the Mi-8 helicopter at the military base in Omsk was set on fire with a Molotov cocktail. In the same month, a civilian helicopter of the same type was burned at Noyabrsk Airport in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Two young people with burns on their faces and hands as a result of the helicopter being set on fire were arrested at the scene. They said via Telegram that they received a commission to carry out the deed.

Young people said they found a brochure with a QR code in the toilets at their school. Using the code, they contacted the unknown person who promised them money in exchange for carrying out the sabotage. According to media reports, similar postings were found in many regions of Russia, including Volgograd, Voronezh and Ryazan.

‘Boots for school children who need money’

D.W., St. He contacted one such Telegram channel, posing as a student from St. Petersburg.

The conversation automatically started with the greeting “Bot for school kids who need money.” The following amounts were offered for arson attacks: $5,000 for a helicopter, $10,000 for an airplane, $3,000 for a transformer, and $4,000 for power lines.

The conversation partner immediately asked where the student came from and what “objects” were nearby. The person even promised to pay $150,000 from his crypto wallet to any bank account he wanted, providing a video as evidence for the destruction of military equipment.

Additionally, the chat partner gave precise instructions on how to destroy an object using a gas canister. Only 10 percent of commissions have failed so far, he wrote, adding that there would be “no real punishment” if the young saboteurs were arrested by the police.

At the end of the conversation, the DW reporter introduced himself by name and asked for an explanation. The unknown man said only that he worked “for a specific organization” whose representatives were located in several countries. He said his aim was to try to destroy as much military equipment as possible that could be used against Ukraine’s civilian population.

“Why young people? Because they can only be held minimally responsible,” the unknown person wrote.

Who is behind the chats?

Michael Klimarev, a security expert who heads the nonprofit Internet Protection Association, said it is nearly impossible to identify administrators of such Telegram channels. He said they were manipulating minors while talking about the “fight against Russian invaders”.

Klimarev said, “They destroy children’s lives by making them do things that they would not risk themselves. Dragging children into such a fight is not a sign of courage.”

A technical expert from the Russian human rights initiative NetFreedomsProject, who asked not to be named due to security concerns, said that it is indeed possible to identify people and their locations with the help of Telegram’s administration.

“This is the only way to find out who is behind the Telegram chats; whether they are provocateurs abroad or in Russia,” the expert said.

More than 550 people were tried for sabotage and arson

The Russian Volunteer Corps, consisting of Russian citizens on the side of Ukraine, presents various videos on its Telegram channel showing acts of sabotage against the Russian railway system. DW interviewed someone close to the group who insisted on anonymity.

He said the involvement of minors and amateurs in sabotage was a controversial issue within the group.

“A professional is well prepared and knows what he is getting into,” he said. But he said people recruiting young people saw it as a cheap and convenient way to use fires to quickly achieve targets. He suggested that Telegram channels could also be used by secret service agents to trap young people.

According to the human rights project Avtozak LIVE, more than 550 people are being prosecuted for acts of sabotage and arson against Russian army recruitment offices. Figures specifically for minors are not available.

The OVD-Info project reported that at least 28 people in Russia have been sentenced to prison for sabotage since the start of the occupation. Under Russian law, such cases can carry a prison sentence of 10 to 12 years for people over the age of 16.

Alexander Verkhovsky, head of the SOWA research center, said that currently young sabotage suspects are being charged with “terrorist” crimes. St. He said two 14-year-old boys in St. Petersburg were sentenced to two and four years in prison for setting fire to a relay box. Verkhovsky said that unfortunately there are no statistics on such cases because the documents are not made public. The Russian parliament is currently considering a bill that would lower the age limit for prosecution on sabotage charges to 14.

Evegeny Smirnov, lawyer of the First Department of the human rights project (Perviy otdel), said that charges of participation in a terrorist organization or treason could be brought if investigators believe that an act of sabotage was carried out on the orders of the Freedom Movement. of the Russian Legion or another organization banned in Russia. He said this would mean an even harsher prison sentence.

Smirnov said that although Russian authorities imposed harsher sentences and lowered the age limit for prosecution, they did not eliminate the reason for the acts of sabotage: the war against Ukraine. “I do not expect a decrease in cases until the conflict ends,” he said.

This article was originally written in Russian.