Politics

The number of Russian minors convicted of political crimes against the Putin regime has increased significantly since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The number of minors prosecuted for sabotage or terrorism, usually arson, and for online comments seen as justifying terrorism, has increased significantly since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, according to Mediazona, with the largest spike recorded in the first half of 2024.

In most cases, the age of criminal responsibility in Russia is 16, although for some crimes, convictions can be sought against defendants as young as 14.

The first Russian minor accused of treason, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to four years in prison in December. He was later exchanged to the West in August, along with 15 other political prisoners held in Russia.

While only seven schoolchildren were convicted of treason, sabotage, disruption of transport, terrorism and glorification of terrorism during the six months before the war, this figure rose to 23 in the first half of 2024.

As of September, 93 minors have been added to the Russian register of terrorists and extremists this year, 20 of whom were under 16. The full list, which also includes adults, is growing twice as fast as it did at the beginning of the war.

(MH with FM/Source: Novaya Gazeta/Mediazona/Photo: DPA/NurPhoto/ Hristo Vladev)