KREMENCHUK, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities say that Russian forces have been recruiting vulnerable youths within Ukraine through online platforms to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorism, often exploiting financial hardship among minors. Several teenagers have been arrested and convicted in connection with these activities, highlighting a troubling facet of the ongoing conflict.
Yaroslav Suzanskyi, now 18, was 16 when he responded to a Telegram advertisement promising easy money. Initially paid roughly $165 to set fire to a railway relay cabinet, he later accepted an offer of approximately $1,430 to handle an explosive device. Ukrainian intelligence detained Suzanskyi before he could complete the second assignment. He is currently serving a five-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility in Kremenchuk, which houses 72 inmates, including eight convicted of offenses related to national security or public safety amid the conflict.
Suzanskyi’s background reflects the broader socioeconomic challenges faced by many targeted youths. Raised by a single mother during the war after his father and stepfather were drafted, his family’s financial support was disrupted by bureaucratic errors, leading him to seek work wherever possible. By late 2024, facing severe financial strain, he responded to the online recruitment offer.
Authorities report that more than 300 juveniles have been detained on similar charges across Ukraine, with 13 currently serving sentences related to Russia-connected cases, including five females. Some have received probation, while others remain under investigation. A 2025 United Nations report outlined credible allegations that Russia has used children under its control to conduct surveillance, sabotage, and arson targeting Ukrainian military-related infrastructure. The Russian government denies these accusations, instead accusing Ukrainian intelligence of recruiting minors to carry out sabotage within Russia.
Other cases reveal similar patterns. Oleksii Babakov, 17, endured about eight months under Russian occupation in Vovchansk before reaching Poland with help. There, he encountered Telegram ads offering monetary incentives to recruit others and carry out sabotage. Among those he recruited was a friend, Vikentii, then 15, who planted an explosive near a Kharkiv police station. Both were convicted—Vikentii of terrorist acts and Babakov for incitement and assistance—now serving sentences in Kremenchuk’s juvenile facility.
Maksym Parshyn, 17, from Slovyansk in the eastern Donetsk region, also succumbed to recruitment offers amid financial difficulties. He carried out minor acts such as setting fire to a railway relay cabinet and spray-painting military recruitment offices. After spending a year in pretrial detention, he was sentenced to four years. Parshyn acknowledged that financial desperation, rather than ideological motives, drove his actions.
Deputy Justice Minister Yevhen Pikalov emphasized that the detained youths were motivated primarily by money, not allegiance to Russia. “They did not do it with the motive of destroying the Ukrainian state,” he said, describing payments as modest sums offered via Telegram.
At the Kremenchuk juvenile colony, officials maintain strict controls on communication and internet access. Despite frequent disruptions from nearby Russian missile strikes damaging the facility, no detainees have been harmed. The youths engage in educational and recreational activities while incarcerated, with some pursuing university studies remotely.
Reintegration and rehabilitation remain complex challenges. Pikalov noted that evaluations focus on individual risk assessments rather than solely on the offenses committed. Some detainees, like Suzanskyi, have chosen to transfer to adult facilities after turning 18.
With years of imprisonment ahead, many express concern for their families amid the ongoing conflict and uncertainty about their futures. Suzanskyi, reflecting on his experience, said he hoped to avoid returning to prison and to rebuild his life after release.