Russia Sees Increase in Number of Minors Sentenced for Sabotage

In 2024, Russian courts issued 13 verdicts in sabotage cases involving minors aged 14 to 17.

The Russian media outlet Meduza reported on this.

The number of verdicts for young people aged 18 to 24 also significantly increased — 24 were issued in 2024.

Although the total number of convictions for sabotage among adults has also increased, one in five individuals convicted in these cases is a minor. The exact number of convictions for adults is not specified.

In 2023, the total number of convictions for sabotage, both among minors and adults, was fewer than ten. In 2024, more than 50 people were convicted under this charge.

According to Russian media, young Russians are primarily being prosecuted for setting fire to relay cabinets or military equipment.

Arson Attacks on Russian Aircraft

Incidents involving the destruction of expensive equipment in Russia are not rare. In September 2024, at least two such acts of sabotage were reported.

On the evening of Saturday, September 21, a Mi-8 military helicopter was set on fire at the Russian Omsk-Severny airport.

The teenagers entered the airbase and threw a prepared incendiary bottle into the aircraft before fleeing on bicycles. They were later detained.

The schoolchildren were allegedly promised nearly two million rubles ($20,000) for their actions.

On September 11, 2024, teenagers at the airport of Noyabrsk in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug burned an Mi-8 helicopter by order.

The helicopter was set on fire with a cigarette that the teenagers threw inside the Mi-8, and the helicopter exploded because of the fire.