At least 158 minors have been convicted of terrorism and sabotage in Russia and occupied Crimea since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, independent outlet Verstka estimated on Monday, having analysed Russian Supreme Court data.
The average age of teenage convicts is between 14 and 17, the outlet noted, with 29 minors convicted so far in 2025. Teenagers are often charged with terrorism and sabotage for setting fire to draft offices and railway relay cabinets, while many say that they were promised money for committing arson, Verstka added.
Terrorism and sabotage cases are heard behind closed doors in Russia, and information on ongoing cases and convictions is scarce. In most cases, criminal liability in the country starts at 16, but in 2016, Russia lowered the bar for certain types of crime, allowing children as young as 14 to face terror charges.
In one of the most prominent cases, Yegor Balazeykin, aged 17, was sentenced to six years in a juvenile detention centre in November 2023 on terror charges for attempting to set fire to two military recruitment offices. Now aged 19, Balazeykin, who suffers from an autoimmune disease, is being denied essential medical care in prison.
In June 2024, Arseny Turbin, aged just 15, was found guilty of terrorism for posts criticising Vladimir Putin on his Telegram channel, which had only five subscribers at the time. Investigators also alleged that in 2023 Turbin had joined the Freedom of Russia Legion, which fights alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the Russian military and is designated a terrorist organisation in Russia.
Turbin, who is serving his five-year sentence at a juvenile detention centre, has reported mistreatment by prison staff and physical abuse by his cellmates.