How the Russian Federation burns the cars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the hands of minors

Russia is sparing no means in the war against Ukraine. According to Ukrainian police officers, the special services of the Russian Federation have recently been increasingly trying to recruit Ukrainian teenagers to commit minor acts of sabotage. It mainly refers to writing anti-Ukrainian slogans in public places and burning Ukrainian military vehicles. How recruitment takes place and how it is countered brings DW material.

"Make $500"

"On June 17, I woke up at three o'clock in the morning when I saw police and firemen near my car. I got out when the car was already turned off. It was not badly damaged - only a few parts on the hinges melted," recalls Taras Kotov, a military officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with DW.

It was a military jeep painted green. When DW's interlocutor went outside, the police were already questioning the alleged perpetrators - a woman and her minor child. "I was standing next to them and heard a conversation with the policemen. The people are quite simple. The woman said that they were in debt, and her son saw on Telegram that he could earn 500 dollars by setting the car on fire. So, it's not about some kind of ideological according to the choice of these people, they are in another layer of society, where they are not interested in war", notes Kotov.

As the National Police of Ukraine confirmed to DW, a 48-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son, who came to the capital from the Chernihiv region, took part in setting Kotova's car on fire. According to police officers, they set a total of two army vehicles on fire in Kyiv over the course of several days.

"The accomplices received instructions through social networks to burn the cars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (FSU). For this, the client promised them a monetary reward in exchange for a video confirming the completed task," the police say.

 

There were more and more fires

Similar cases were recorded not only in Kyiv. So on the night of June 9 to 10, around 1:30 a.m., a car with the inscription "Evacuation of the Armed Forces" was set on fire in Dnieper.

"The boys left the car for repairs and went to the war zone. It was parked near the service station. Before the arson, on June 9, in the afternoon, an unknown young person was seen near the car," military police officer Roman told DW.

 

In Odesa, the police recently exposed two boys, aged 13 and 16, who set fire to two cars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then together with their friends, aged 16 and 18, planned to set fire to another car Indeed, in recent times, the burning of military vehicles by teenagers has become more frequent, according to the deputy head of the criminal investigation department of the national police Yuriy Kuzmenko.

"We notice the trend of activation of the Russian special services in the recruitment of our teenagers, citizens of Ukraine, with the aim of engaging in criminal activities, that is, burning the cars of military personnel," he stressed.

In general, according to Kuzmenko, 16 cases of arson were recorded in Kyiv, Odessa and Dnieper during the last period.

"In 11 cases, the perpetrators have already been identified and brought to justice," said Kuzmenko.

Setting fire to a car is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And in the case of establishing a connection with the Russian special services, the actions will already be qualified under the article on sabotage, and then the punishment is from 15 years to life imprisonment.

Recruitment process

Russian special services, as specified by Kuzmenko, recruit Ukrainian teenagers through social networks, especially Telegram, paying attention to their posts and comments. It is during the summer holidays, he said, that children spend more time on social networks, commenting on the news.

At first, the special services of the Russian Federation give seemingly innocent tasks, such as drawing graffiti, mostly anti-Ukrainian, Kuzmenko explains.

"For this, they promise a certain reward, which ranges from several to 20,000 hryvnias. In case a person performs this task, the special services understand that a person can be easily influenced, and promise easy earnings and significant reward amounts - from three to five thousand dollars , as much as they offer for the execution of criminal acts in the form of setting fire to the cars of military personnel," explained Kuzmenko.

In order to conceal the transactions, money is often transferred to a bank card issued to a fake person. This was the scheme of a group of attackers who, on the order of the special services of the Russian Federation, set fire to one car of TCC military personnel in Dnipro and planned to set fire to more vehicles, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced.

 

Motives of cooperation with the occupiers

In this way, the Russian Federation is trying to create a "media image" for the Russian mass media about the presence of an alleged "anti-Ukrainian underground", notes the SBU. But this is not the first time that the Russian Federation has carried out sabotage using a teenager. Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that Russian special services are recruiting minors to send pseudo-mining messages. Ukrainian teenagers are also being recruited by Russians on Vkontakte, a social network banned in Ukraine, on Telegram channels and online gaming platforms.

"Very often, in order to attract children to subversive activities, the enemy uses methods of blackmail and psychological manipulation, as well as offers "easy" money," police officers note.

In addition to financial gain, "trigger" reasons for cooperation with the Russian Federation can also be situations when a person feels limited in expressing his opinion, a desire for revenge, does not have the possibility to belong to the desired social class or other factors that cause internal conflicts, the Department of Internal Affairs notes. security of the National Police, who have significant experience in confronting individual collaborators as well as exposing networks of agents.

Moreover, young people may not even realize what they are doing, notes Vasyl Filonenko, methodologist trainer of the public organization #stop_sexting, which deals with the protection of children.

"After all, it can be presented as a fun game, which gives, in particular, burned cars to fight against spies within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Children may not fully understand the consequences," he says in an interview with DW.

Warning about the dangers of the Internet

Therefore, in addition to the work of police officers to identify and neutralize the source of Russian influence, it is up to parents to warn children of the danger, DW interlocutors are convinced.

"First of all, you need to set parental control on children's phones. And in Telegram, you can limit the visibility of the account to third parties. So that people who may know the phone number do not see you. This is important, because children can be invited to anonymous conversations with acquaintances." , notes Filonenko.

In addition, according to him, adults - public organizations, teachers or parents - should regularly communicate with children about the dangers of the Internet. It is also important for children to understand the consequences of their actions, Filonenko emphasizes.

"An adult should explain: if you are offered to draw graffiti, set arson, it can be dangerous for yourself. The police can catch you and there will be sanctions. Secondly, in this way you can help the enemy to create a problem for the Armed Forces, plant another a person or maybe even deprive him of life and health", the expert is convinced.

In addition, state educational programs are necessary, emphasizes doctor-psychotherapist Alina Salnikova.

"The state can influence this situation, first of all, by creating educational programs. The school program should include information security, form critical thinking, hold lectures, seminars for schoolchildren, talking about the dangers of participating in sabotage," she says in an interview with DW.

Also, in her opinion, support groups should be organized for parents and children who have encountered recruitment.

"This can only be agreed on at the state level, because the volunteers will not have enough funds," she emphasized.

Soldier Kotov calls to prepare for the fact that such sabotage will continue in the future.

"Apart from teenagers, the Russians are also targeting vulnerable segments of the population that are in a debt crisis," warns Kotov.