14-Year-Old Charged with Terrorism in St. Petersburg

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with terrorism in St. Petersburg after allegedly setting fire to a police station, Russian authorities announced via Telegram.

The teenager faces a possible sentence of 12 to 20 years in prison under Russia’s terrorism laws.

Investigators say that on August 2, the boy threw a Molotov cocktail at a non-functioning police station located on Moskovskaya Square. The attack set the building’s roof on fire, but eyewitnesses managed to extinguish the flames before emergency services arrived.

No one was injured in the incident.

According to the Investigative Committee, the boy later admitted that he had been contacted by unknown individuals through an online messenger app. They reportedly offered him 250,000 rubles (about $2,700 USD) to carry out the arson attack.

This was reported by The Moscow Times.

Online Manipulation and Blackmail

The police investigation revealed that days before the attack, the teenager had connected with a girl on social media.

She asked him to send geolocations of popular places in St. Petersburg, claiming she was new to the city. Shortly after receiving the locations, she cut off contact, deleted their chat history, and blocked him.

Then, according to the boy’s testimony during interrogation, he received a call from an unknown person who informed him that the geolocation data he had provided was being used to plan a crime.

To “avoid consequences,” he was given a task: to set fire to a former police station on Moskovsky Prospekt in exchange for the promised reward.

Believing he was cornered, the boy agreed. He allegedly bought materials for an incendiary device, assembled a Molotov cocktail, and carried out the attack.

He never received the promised payment.

Authorities Connect Case to Broader Security Crackdown

Local media outlet Fontanka reported that the suspect is a 14-year-old native of Azerbaijan.

The Investigative Committee has opened a formal criminal case against him for a “terrorist act,” a charge that carries a heavy sentence even for minors.

Russian authorities have been cracking down on similar incidents.

In June, the Investigative Committee launched a case of “rehabilitation of Nazism” against several teenagers after a video surfaced online showing them singing the Ukrainian anthem and the nationalist song “Our Father — Bandera.” This charge carries up to three years in prison.