Around 20 separate cases of individuals attempting to set off small explosive devices or throw fireworks at buildings have been recorded since Friday, mainly in St. Petersburg, Moscow and surrounding suburbs, according to the agency. press release TASS and the independent site Fontanka.
Citing an anonymous law enforcement source, the TASS agency indicated that these people had been recruited by online fraudsters who offered money for these attacks. Images from surveillance cameras at some sites, posted on social media, appear to show individuals using their cell phones to film the fires they are trying to start.
Footage from the aftermath of one attack shows an ATM destroyed and nearby windows blown out, while another video shows a police car set on fire. State-owned bank ATMs, shopping malls, post offices, military recruitment offices, police vehicles and other administrative buildings were targeted.
More 30% arson
Sberbank reported a 30% increase in arson attempts over the past week, according to the Ria Novosti news agency citing the bank's press service. Most of those arrested after the attempted attacks were retirees, according to the TASS agency. Sberbank said they were recruited by people in Ukraine.
The Russian Security Service (FSB) has already warned Russians that Ukrainian fraudsters, posing as security officers, have called elderly people asking them to commit arson in exchange for money or to collect the access to blocked accounts.
kyiv did not react to the wave of attempted attacks or to accusations of orchestration from Ukrainian territory. Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, several Russian army recruitment offices have been hit by arson attacks committed with Molotov cocktails.
