Three Rostov residents charged in connection with railway terrorist attacks

Investigators in Rostov-on-Don have charged an 18-year-old man and two 16-year-olds with arson on the railway. The young men's actions have been classified as terrorist attacks, and the elder is also accused of money laundering.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in mid-December 2024, security forces reported the arrest of suspects in an arson attack on the railway. Two teenagers, a 15-year-old man and a 16-year-old woman, set fire to the cabin of an electric locomotive at Rostov-Tovarnaya station, and their 18-year-old friend was paid 150,000 rubles for the crime, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

The Investigative Committee has classified the actions of the young men arrested last December in connection with the arson attacks on the railway as terrorist acts. The youngest of the accused, who is now 16, has been placed in pretrial detention.

According to investigators, on December 11, 2024, in Rostov-on-Don, the accused, acting on instructions from an unknown person received via instant messaging, set fire to a relay cabinet that controlled the operation of railway transport. Three days later, on December 14, 2024, at the Rostov-Tovarny railway station, the accused set fire to an electric locomotive, damaging it, the Western Interregional Investigative Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported on its Telegram channel.

In both cases, the accused committed the crimes in exchange for a monetary reward promised by their supervisor. The young men fled the scene of the crimes but were soon detained by officers from the Rostov Region Directorate of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The case is being investigated under Part 2 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorist acts resulting in significant property damage), the agency clarifies. The eldest of the defendants, 18, is also charged with money laundering, as he converted the cryptocurrency he received for the first arson into rubles.

"Two young men, aged 18 and 16, are being held in custody, while a third accomplice, a 16-year-old girl, is under house arrest," the report stated.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that the Rostov Regional Court sentenced local resident Roman Devitsyn to 14 years in prison for attempted sabotage on the railroad. Devitsyn had previously suffered a concussion in Chechnya and worked as a criminal investigation officer.