MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Monday that it has arrested nine individuals, including several teenagers, accused of plotting terrorist attacks targeting police in the Stavropol region during Victory Day celebrations earlier this month.
The suspects were taken into custody on May 8, just one day before Russia commemorated its World War II victory over Nazi Germany — a national holiday marked by heightened security across the country.
The FSB said the alleged ringleader is an unnamed teenager who joined an unidentified terrorist organization in 2023 with the intention of committing crimes on its behalf. Authorities claim he recruited an adult relative and seven other teenagers, aged 14 to 16, to participate in planned attacks targeting law enforcement.
The Investigative Committee, which handles major criminal cases in Russia, confirmed that the suspects were preparing to carry out assaults on police officers during the Victory Day festivities.
According to official statements, all nine were formally charged with participating in terrorist activities and have been placed in pre-trial detention.
Russian state media released footage showing excerpts of interrogations with the young suspects, whose faces were blurred. In one video, a teenager described being indoctrinated into a banned extremist group by a peer.
“He told us to repeat after him, then congratulated us for joining some kind of group that’s banned in Russia,” the boy said in the video.
The teen recruiter now faces additional charges for coercing others to join terrorist activities, authorities said.
The case has heightened concerns about radicalization among Russian youth, especially through online platforms and peer-to-peer recruitment. Russian officials have repeatedly warned that foreign and domestic extremist groups are targeting vulnerable minors to carry out attacks on home soil.
While the FSB did not name the organization allegedly behind the plot, authorities emphasized that the group is banned in Russia and that the investigation remains ongoing.
