Ukraine detains teens supected of planning sabotage on Russian orders
Ukraine said Tuesday it had detained seven people including five teenagers suspected of planning sabotage attacks on behalf of Russia, the latest in a string of youths arrested since the beginning of the three-year war.
Among them were a 14-year-old schoolgirl suspected of preparing explosives to blow up a Ukrainian soldier, and two 14-year-old boys accused of attempting to blow up a police car.
Moscow and Kyiv frequently accuse each other of recruiting civilians -- often teenagers in need of fast cash -- to coordinate attacks or carry out sabotage attacks, and of offering financial incentives and grooming them via social media.
Ukraine's SBU secret service "has exposed seven more Russian agents who were preparing terrorist attacks against Ukrainian military and law enforcement officers," it said in a statement.
"The perpetrators were recruited by the occupiers through Telegram channels advertising 'easy money'," the SBU added.
All of them suspected of planning attacks on Ukrainian soldiers or law enforcement agencies using homemade explosive devices.
If proven guilty, they will be facing from 12 years to life in prison.
