The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the National Police have dismantled a covert operation by Russian intelligence aimed at exploiting Ukrainian minors to conduct sabotage and reconnaissance activities.
Under the guise of so-called “quest games,” the scheme involved recruiting children as young as 15 and 16 to carry out dangerous missions that directly aided Russian operations.
During a special operation in the city of Kharkiv, authorities apprehended two groups of agents working for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Both groups consisted entirely of underage individuals tasked with gathering intelligence and committing acts of arson. The groups operated independently to maintain operational secrecy.
The young operatives were lured into the scheme with instructions framed as “rules of the game.” Participants received geolocations from their FSB handlers and were instructed to visit specific sites, document them through photos and videos, and provide detailed descriptions of the surroundings. This data, crucial for Russian military operations, was transmitted via anonymous online chats.
An investigation found that the intelligence collected by the teens was used to conduct airstrikes on Kharkiv, endangering civilian lives and infrastructure. The SSU intercepted the agents while they were photographing Ukrainian air defense installations near the city.
The minors were reportedly assigned to target transformers critical to the movement of Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) reinforcements toward the eastern front.
SSU investigators have charged the organizer of one group under Article 113.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (sabotage committed under martial law). The suspect, currently in custody, faces the possibility of life imprisonment. The investigation identified the primary “liaison” coordinating the groups as a police officer from Krasnodar Krai, Russia, who is collaborating with the FSB. Authorities plan to issue a notice of suspicion against him in absentia under the same sabotage charge.