Two teenagers have been arrested in Stavropol in connection with a sabotage case.

Two 16-year-old residents of Stavropol, suspected of attempting to set fire to cell phone towers, have been taken into custody.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," security forces have repeatedly reported the detention of teenagers suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Stavropol. For example, on May 19, 2025, nine people were taken into custody in Stavropol Krai, including eight teenagers suspected of plotting attacks on police officers. Some of the teenagers told security forces that they swore an oath to a terrorist organization without understanding the meaning of what they said.

Two suspects in the attempted arson of equipment on cell towers have been taken into custody in Stavropol Krai, the regional Interior Ministry reported today on its website.

The incident occurred on November 28, 2025. "Statements were received from employees of mobile phone companies that unknown individuals attempted to set fire to telecommunications cabinets containing equipment on cell phone towers. Upon inspection of the sites, traces of fire were discovered," the department reported.

Police and FSB officers concluded that two 16-year-old local residents were involved in the incident.

He convinced them of the need to destabilize mobile phone service.

"During interrogation, they explained that they had received instructions from a foreign curator with whom they communicated on a messenger. For a monetary reward of approximately 35,000 rubles, he convinced them of the need to destabilize mobile phone service in the district. Acting deliberately and according to instructions, the teenagers traveled to the village of Staroizobylnaya, where, using flammable material and flammable liquid, they attempted to set fire to equipment on two "They tried to set fire to a cell tower within the city limits of Izobilny using the same method," the Ministry of Internal Affairs' version is quoted in the publication.

According to the regional FSB, one of the teenagers recruited an acquaintance to commit the crime. As a result of the arson attempt, the equipment was partially damaged, but cellular service was not suspended, Interfax reported today.

"A criminal case has been opened against the perpetrators under Part 3 of Article 30, Subparagraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 281 of the Russian Criminal Code (attempted sabotage by an organized group)," the agency quotes the FSB as saying.

16:05 20.01.2026

The Nalchik bomb plot case continues the trend of blaming teenagers for terrorist attacks

The investigation's theory that a 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 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 a victim of provocation. The investigation's version is questionable and requires objective confirmation, analysts agreed. "The increasing number of cases of persecution 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 government bodies," said Amir Kolov, a colonel in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a candidate of legal sciences.