The Russian Ministry of the Interior revealed on Tuesday that over the course of the year, more than 300 people were detained for attempting to sabotage national transport lines, half of them minors. In 2025, 'more than 300 people were detained for sabotaging transport facilities and setting fire to infrastructure.' 'Saboteurs are mainly recruited via the internet. The Interior Ministry has planned an information campaign to combat them,' stated the Russian official, who admitted that recruiters are expected to become more active during the New Year holidays. Throughout the year, Russia has reported almost daily detentions of Russian citizens on sabotage charges at the behest or for payment by Ukrainian intelligence. Initially, the detainees were prosecuted for terrorism, but later for high treason, which is punished more severely. In mid-November, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 14 for sabotage offenses and introduced life imprisonment for involvement in terrorist acts and for persuading minors to commit sabotage. The prison sentence ranges from 10 to 20 years, in addition to a fine of between 500,000 and 1 million rubles (approximately between $6,300 and $12,700). 'Unfortunately, more than 150 were minors,' stated the head of the Interior Ministry's transport department, Oleg Kalinkin, as quoted by TASS. In total, 'more than 400 illegal acts against transport facilities' were registered, of which half were resolved. 'Enemy intelligence services are increasingly trying to involve schoolchildren in sabotage, convincing them that they will not face punishment due to their age,' said last month the chairman of the State Duma Security Committee, Vasily Piskaryev, in his Telegram channel.
