Ukraine Accused of Orchestrating Far East Forest Fires with Teen Collaborators

Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday that Ukrainian agents were linked to the recent forest fires in the Zabaikalsky region, as detailed in a statement on the agency’s official Telegram channel.

The committee has brought terrorism charges against two 16-year-old suspects, who are believed to have been recruited via social media.

Investigators revealed that one of the suspects began online communication in June with someone in Ukraine, who allegedly offered 80,000 rubles (approximately $975) in exchange for starting the fires.

This teenager reportedly brought a friend on board, and together they purchased lighters before heading to a forested area near Atamanovka in the Chita district, where they set fire to dry grass and pine needles.

The committee stated that the suspects recorded their actions on a mobile device and sent the video to their presumed recruiter, but they never received the financial reward that was promised.

The arson carried out by the teenagers reportedly led to a large wildfire, inflicting damages over 300 million rubles (around $3.65 million), based on official evaluations.

On July 22, the Chita District Court ordered the detention of both suspects, one of whom lives in an orphanage.

During the investigation, allegations of serious misconduct arose when the mother of one of the defendants claimed her son was tortured during interrogation.

Both teenagers confessed during questioning to starting the fires and claimed they later took part in efforts to extinguish them by volunteering with emergency services, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

From January to July 14, the Zabaikalsky region experienced 705 individual fires, affecting nearly 3 million hectares, as reported by the Emergency Situations Ministry.

Pavel Volzhin, the acting natural resources minister for the region, indicated that investigators have identified 104 people responsible for various forest and landscape fires in the area, with 42 of those being minors.