In quick succession, two teenagers in Russia have received lengthy prison sentences for terrorism-related charges. A 14-year-old boy, whose name has not been made public, was sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly trying, in May 2025, to set fire to a military conscription office in the Tver region – a city less than 200 kilometers Northwest of Moscow. “He was contacted by a representative of a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia via the Telegram messaging service, then scouted attack sites and, using instructions found online, prepared three Molotov cocktails,” the Federal Security Service (FSB, one of the successors to the KGB) claimed in a statement released on Wednesday, January 28.
The verdict was handed down by a military court after a closed-door trial, with no information provided about the evidence against the teenager or any possible pressure exerted: a double conviction for the “preparation of a terrorist act” and the “participation in the activities of a terrorist organization.” The Investigative Committee stated that the verdict was based on a body of evidence, including forensic reports and “other elements.”
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