The Nalchik bomb plot case continues the trend of teenagers being accused of terrorist attacks.

The investigation's theory that the 16-year-old teenager planned to assemble an explosive device to attack security forces in Nalchik does not seem unrealistic. In recent years, numerous minors have been charged with terrorism-related offenses, according to human rights activists and a lawyer.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on January 17, the FSB and the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the arrest of a 16-year-old resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, accused of plotting an attack on police officers in Nalchik on instructions from a representative of a terrorist organization.

Zaur Shokuev, a representative of the Kabardino-Balkaria Human Rights Center, human rights activist Oleg Orlov (included in the register of foreign agents), and lawyer Timofey Shirokov, who is not involved in the case, commented on the teenager's case to the "Caucasian Knot."

Zaur Shokuev reported that the Human Rights Center has no information about the detained young man. "We also don't know his relatives," he added.

The human rights activist was unable to recall similar cases of teenagers accused of plotting a terrorist attack in the republic. "However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that a 16-year-old could assemble simple, uncomplicated devices consisting of a minimum of components," Shokuev said.

The question of whether such cases could be used by law enforcement to demonstrate "solved" or "prevented" terrorist attacks, in his opinion, is complex and requires an analysis of the specific circumstances of the case.

"It's quite possible that law enforcement agencies could focus on such cases to demonstrate their effectiveness, especially in the context of heightened vigilance in countering terrorism," Shokuev emphasized.

The mere fact that the teenager could have been planning an attack on security forces is entirely possible.

Human rights activist Oleg Orlov believes there is nothing unrealistic about a teenager preparing or even participating in a terrorist attack. "I can't comment on this specific case, but we know full well that in Chechnya in previous years, there have been numerous attacks by very young people, including teenagers, on security forces. Even teenagers under 16 have participated. Therefore, the mere fact that a teenager could have been planning an attack on security forces is entirely possible. I wouldn't draw conclusions based solely on the teenagers' ages," he said.

The fact of "preparing a terrorist attack" is easier to falsify than the actual involvement, Orlov noted. "16-year-olds aren't idiots and could have used instructions for making explosives. Could he have found and purchased the components? To answer this question, we need to study these components. But why not? It all depends on the components," the human rights activist said.

Oleg Orlov said he doesn't see this story as a new trend. "We know very well that quite a few teenagers in recent years have been involved in certain activities, such as setting fire to relay cabinets. And they say they received offers online. Some did it for money, others for ideological reasons. Quite a few teenagers have been arrested for such actions. So these are not new trends," he explained.

You never know: today there's an intention, tomorrow it's gone, he refused. It's basically not punishable.

The Criminal Code doesn't provide for any sanctions for "intentions" to commit a terrorist attack, said lawyer Timofey Shirokov. "There's an objective aspect to the crime, meaning certain actions must be taken. It's not enough for a person to simply say they want to do something. They also need to prove that this intention has become objective, in the form of preparation, in the form of specific actions. "And if it's just intent, who knows: today there's intent, tomorrow it's gone, he refused. It's not punishable in principle; specific actions are needed, like he acquired something, parts for explosives," he said.

The fact that a teenager contacted someone and corresponded could serve as evidence against the prosecution, although there have been cases where such correspondence was an "operational game" by the intelligence services, Shirokov noted. "The very fact of correspondence will be treated as preparation. They say there was coordination and planning," he explained.

According to him, in recent years, many teenagers have been accused of preparing and participating in terrorist attacks. "The fact that a 16-year-old boy with no professional experience could independently figure out how to make an explosive device is, theoretically, probably possible." […] And if instructions come from professionals, perhaps even from the intelligence services, then even a teenager can figure it out,” said Timofey Shirokov.

As a reminder, in October 2025, it was reported that an 11th-grade student from a school in the Dagestani village of Khuchni was arrested on suspicion of participating in a terrorist organization.

The Dagestani student's relatives considered him the victim of a provocation. Analysts agreed that the investigation's version of events is questionable and requires objective confirmation. "The increasing number of cases of prosecution of teenagers on terrorist charges, including in Dagestan, are, in my opinion, part of the anti-people, criminally ordered policy of Russia's enemies who have infiltrated Russia's state authorities," said Amir Kolov, a colonel in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a candidate of legal sciences. On May 19, 2025, nine people, including eight teenagers, suspected of plotting attacks on police officers, were taken into custody in Stavropol Krai. Some of the teenagers told security forces that they had sworn an oath to a terrorist organization without understanding the meaning of what they were saying. "He approached my brother and me and said, 'You must repeat after me.' We repeated after him, and after we repeated, he said that we had sworn an oath," said one of the detainees.