Russian intelligence recruit Ukrainian minors for arsons of military vehicles -reports

Source: Skhemy 

Russian intelligence services appear to use a new sabotage tactics recruiting Ukrainian minors to set fire to military vehicles and military recruitment offices. The scheme uses a netwo of chat bots and Telegram channels where teenagers take the bait when offered “quick cash” for arson acts.

The report by Skhemy reveals the great number of young Ukrainians roped into this operation. The journalistic report features interviews with minors apprehended by the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) and National Police, as well as direct contact with the Russian handlers.

Recruitment follows a common pattern: potential arsonists, mostly teenagers, stumble upon odd jobs lists on Telegram where they are offered a good reward for torching Ukrainian Railways equipment, military vehicles and offices. Teens are often tasked with setting a fire to vehicles “with crosses or green with black plates,” according to coordinators. Once a target is located and approved, detailed arson instructions follow, and the perpetrator must send a video of the act as proof.

Since May 2024, over 150 individuals have been arrested for setting military vehicles ablaze, many of them minors, as Russian handlers see no problem in recruitment of under-18s for the sabotage acts.

Rewards for such assignments range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars that are promised to be transfered via cryptocurrency or Ukrainian bank cards. Many youths fall into this trap often ending up with no reward at all.

One of Russian handlers allegedly claimed that the payments come from “state funds,” presumably meaning Russian state funding. The goal of arsons is to “create a visual spectacle of chaos and destabilize Ukraine”.

The sabotage campaign often sees call center clerks acting as  middlemen between the Russian intelligence and the recruited Ukrainians. Investigation suggests that the notorious 316th Intelligence Center of Russia’s General Staff, known as the GRU, could be behind this plot.

Analysis of various Telegram groups proves that such schemes originate in Russia with most such Telegram channels acting in a coordinated effort, using the same posts and strategies.