The security service says minors were recruited via social media and blackmailed into torching police cars and a shopping mall

Four teenagers have been detained by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) after they were allegedly recruited by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out arson attacks on police vehicles and a shopping mall.

The security service said on Friday it had "suppressed the activities" of the individuals, aged 15 to 17, in Moscow and the Chuvash Republic. The FSB stated the minors were contacted via social media and dating chats by agents posing as girls to obtain their geolocation data.

After the teenagers sent the data, they were contacted by Ukrainian agents posing as Russian law enforcement officers who informed them that the coordinates they provided had been used by Kiev's armed forces to plan drone strikes, the FSB stated. 

The callers then blackmailed the teens, offering them the opportunity to avoid criminal liability if they committed crimes under the guise of an "anti-terrorism security check." 

In video testimony released by the FSB, one teenager described being directed to buy gasoline. "I thought 'why?' but agreed. Then they jammed the internet when I got there. And thank God," he said. 

Another teen shared a threat he received from a masked man with a Ukrainian flag: "Thanks for the coordinates, bitch. You're in for a fun night tonight."

The Investigative Committee stated a 15-year-old from Cheboksary has been charged with a terrorist act for making incendiary bottles and burning two police cars last summer. In Moscow, a 16-year-old is accused of attempted property damage for setting fire to a canister of gasoline in a mall cinema in November. The charges carry sentences of up to 25 years.

The FSB and Investigative Committee urged the public to be vigilant and not share personal data. The agency has repeatedly reported foiling Ukrainian plots, often citing similar recruitment methods targeting teenagers and vulnerable citizens since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.