Teenagers Charged with Arson After Allegedly Being Recruited by Ukrainian Operatives to Start Forest Fires in Russias Far East

Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday that recent forest fires in the Zabaikalsky region were allegedly orchestrated by Ukrainian operatives, as stated in a post on the agency’s official Telegram channel.

The committee has brought terrorism charges against two 16-year-old individuals, who are said to have been recruited via social media platforms.

Investigators revealed that one of the suspects began conversing in June with a person in Ukraine, who offered a payment of 80,000 rubles ($975) for starting the fires.

This teenager reportedly enlisted a friend, and together they bought lighters before heading to a forested area near Atamanovka in the Chita district, where they ignited dry grass and pine needles.

The committee noted that the suspects recorded their actions with a mobile phone and sent the video to their alleged handler, although they never received the promised compensation for their actions.

The arson carried out by the teenagers is believed to have sparked a significant wildfire, causing damages estimated at over 300 million rubles ($3.65 million), according to official evaluations.

The Chita District Court mandated the detention of both suspects on July 22, with one of them living in an orphanage.

During the investigation, serious allegations of misconduct surfaced, including claims that the mother of one suspect accused the authorities of torturing her son during questioning.

Both teenagers reportedly admitted to starting the fires during their interrogations and claimed that they later assisted in firefighting efforts by volunteering with emergency services, according to the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

From January to July 14, the Zabaikalsky region experienced a total of 705 separate fires, affecting nearly 3 million hectares, as reported by the Emergency Situations Ministry.

Pavel Volzhin, the acting minister of natural resources for the region, stated that investigators have identified 104 individuals responsible for various forest and landscape fires in the area, including 42 minors.