“During his arrest, materials intended for the manufacture of homemade explosive devices were discovered” as well as “messaging exchanges with agents of the Ukrainian intelligence services,” the statement said.
According to the public agency Ria Novosti, the teenager admitted the facts and specified that he had acted against the promise of a payment of 25,000 rubles (around 250 euros).
12 to 15 years in prison
Accused of attempting to set fire to railway relay cabinets in the Chelyabinsk region of the Urals in January and arrested “in flagrante delicto”, three local residents were sentenced to terms ranging from 12 and a half years to 15 years in prison, said another press release from the Russian Investigative Committee.
If successful, their action “could have caused a catastrophe which would result in a collision or derailment of the trains”. One of the protagonists in this case, accused of having given money for the purchase of components for an explosive device, was also found guilty of “financing terrorism”, the press release specifies.
Thousands of arrests since 2022
Since the offensive by Moscow's forces in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have increased arrests for “espionage”, “treason”, “sabotage”, “extremism”, “discrediting the army”, often with very heavy prison sentences. the key.
