A Russian military court has sentenced a 15-year-old schoolgirl to five years in a penal colony after convicting her as a 'Ukrainian spy' and branding her a 'terrorist' for allegedly attempting an attack on a railway when she was 14.
The girl was found guilty of seeking to set fire to railway signalling equipment at Bugach station on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Authorities said there was no impact on train movements, and she reported her attempt to a handler 'based outside Russia', a term widely seen as a euphemism for Ukrainian secret services.
Recruitment of Teenagers Alleged
The Russian Investigative Committee said foreign intelligence agencies actively recruit teenagers to take part in sabotage and terrorist activities, using social media and popular messaging apps. The committee said: 'Anyone who receives an offer to commit an unlawful act should contact law enforcement. Criminal responsibility for these offences begins at the age of 14 and carries severe penalties, including lengthy prison sentences.'
The schoolgirl said she had been offered £182 to carry out the arson attack. She said: 'They just messaged me. The job involved damaging property…at first, I didn't want to do it at all. I told them that if it was anything illegal, I certainly wouldn't take part.'
Girl's Account of the Incident
She said her handler 'even gave advice on how to carry it out as safely as possible'. The girl added: 'I hid the clothes I was wearing when the crime was committed….so I could wash them later, so my parents wouldn't notice.'
According to an analysis of Russian Supreme Court figures, at least 158 minors were convicted of terrorism and sabotage-related offences in the first three years of the full-scale war. Independent investigators have documented hundreds of teenage suspects as Russian secret services search for enemies of the state.
