Ukrainian teenagers recruited for arson in Russian plot

Russian services are recruiting Ukrainian teenagers on Telegram to set fire to military cars, reports Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional authorities. In Kharkiv alone, 40 such cases have been recorded recently.

Through Telegram channels, Russians are recruiting children for arson. Participants in these schemes were children aged 12 to 18. All were identified, and all crimes were exposed, said Syniehubov, as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to his account, the Russians offer between 20,000 and 40,000 hryvnias for the arson of one car, which is equivalent to almost 500 to 1,000 US dollars. Syniehubov appealed to parents to monitor their children's activity on social media to prevent their involvement in such incidents.

On Monday, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine reported the arrest of six residents of Odesa, who, on the orders of Russian services, burned 15 cars belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in that city.

The detainees filmed the arson of the vehicle and sent the recording to the contractor, after which the Russians published the recording on the internet to prove that anti-Ukrainian, pro-Russian underground activity was actively operating in Ukraine, explained the prosecutor's office.