The FSB is increasingly using popular messengers, especially Telegram, to recruit Ukrainian teenagers, offering them quick money in exchange for cooperation, writes Financial Times. Since the spring of last year, the SBU has arrested over 700 people for espionage, arson, or planning explosions in Ukraine, of which 175, or about 25%, were under 18, SBU representative Artem Dekhtyarenko told the publication. Most of those detained carried out their tasks knowingly, although there were cases where people were simply deceived and did not understand what they were doing.
Ukrainian officials told the publication that they observe systematic recruitment of teenagers and young people, including orphans and displaced persons who have suffered from hostilities, face financial difficulties, or simply want to earn enough money for a new iPhone. They characterized Moscow's actions as "turning Ukrainian teenagers into weapons of war against their own people".
Initially, Russian curators offered to set fire to cars and transformer substations on the railway. Then tasks began to come to burn military enlistment offices, and this year they moved "to using Ukrainians as suicide bombers".
As noted by FT, recruitment channels operate in a similar scheme: an anonymous user contacts young people through Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp or Viber with attractive offers of quick and easy money. After establishing contact, curators provide coordinates and instructions, ranging from photographing military facilities or air defense systems to installing explosive devices or setting fire to energy infrastructure and recruitment points. The promised payment ranges from 100 to 1000 dollars.
Sometimes Russian spies recruit Ukrainians under the guise of "quests" — games similar to treasure hunts, which are popular among teenagers. According to the SBU, they believed they were participating in a game, the winners of which receive a cash reward.
In Kharkiv, a 19-year-old girl blew up an electric scooter handed over to the army. A soldier died. Another tragedy occurred in Ivano-Frankivsk, where two boys aged 15 and 17 were recruited for a terrorist attack. One of them died in the explosion — according to the SBU, the bomb detonated remotely.
In December 2024, two friends aged 15 and 16 were detained in Kharkiv, who were monitoring air defense positions and coordinating targets for airstrikes and arson, believing they were playing a game. The teenagers sent the collected intelligence to a curator in the FSB via Telegram. According to the SBU, the Russian military used this intelligence to conduct airstrikes on Kharkiv.
Recently, Russian special services attempted to recruit a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Ivano-Frankivsk. According to the curator's instructions, the minor was supposed to make an improvised explosive device (IED), hide it in a thermos, and then deliver the IED to a city park during peak hours. At that moment, the FSB planned to remotely detonate the explosive along with the minor "agent".
Also in June, the SBU warned of a new recruitment tactic: Russian agents posing as Ukrainian officials deceive or pressure children to commit acts of sabotage or cyberattacks on behalf of their country.
Ukrainian authorities have launched a nationwide information campaign aimed against recruitment. During it, about 50 teenagers reported recruitment attempts through messengers, writes FT.