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A police officer in Yekaterinburg shot and grazed a 17-year-old while detaining him over the overnight burning of two police vehicles, according to regional officials. Investigators allege the teenager acted on instructions sent online and opened a criminal case on suspicion of sabotage; the teenager’s alleged role and possible manipulation by scammers remain under investigation.
A police officer in Yekaterinburg shot and grazed a 17-year-old suspect while detaining him after two police vehicles caught fire at a station overnight on October 15, Russian officials said. The teenager was not taken to hospital, and investigators have opened a criminal case on suspicion of sabotage, alleging he set the vehicles alight on instructions received online.
The Interior Ministry’s Sverdlovsk regional directorate told local outlet Vecherniye Vedomosti that the fires broke out on the grounds of Police Station No. 3. Officers found the teenager at the scene. The ministry said the officer used a service weapon during the detention and acted “in accordance with the law.” The teenager sustained a graze wound and was not hospitalized, according to the ministry’s account.
The Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal investigation into the teenager on suspicion of sabotage. Investigators allege that he set the vehicles on fire “on instructions from handlers” with whom he had been exchanging messages online. That is the investigators’ allegation; the supplied report does not describe a court finding or provide the teenager’s response.
The teenager was identified by his first name, Anatoly. The report says he was a first-year vocational college student training as a computer operator and had recently worked part-time as a courier for a cafe. Police had previously placed him under juvenile-officer supervision after he smoked at school. Officials are also examining whether scammers manipulated him, but no conclusion about that possibility was reported.
A Teenager Facing a Sabotage Case
The case combines a police use of a firearm with a serious criminal investigation involving a minor. The official account says the teenager was grazed during detention, while the Investigative Committee is pursuing suspicion of sabotage. The allegations are not a finding of guilt, and the details of any prosecution, including the evidence and legal process, have not been provided.
Investigators’ claim that online handlers directed the alleged arson also makes the question of possible recruitment or manipulation central to the case. Authorities say they are looking into whether scammers were involved. The distinction matters: the report does not establish who was behind the messages, what was promised, or whether the teenager understood the alleged purpose of the act.
The incident also sits within a broader pattern documented by independent Russian outlet Mediazona. Its May 2026 tally counted at least 240 teenagers detained on terrorism or sabotage charges since the start of the war. That tally describes detentions, not convictions, and does not establish that this case shares the same motive as others.
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Teen Detentions in Mediazona’s Tally
Mediazona’s May 2026 tally reported that, among the 240 teenagers it counted as detained on terrorism or sabotage charges since the start of the war, 205 said they had been seeking an easy way to earn extra money. The outlet also recorded six teenagers who committed arson after being manipulated by scammers and five who said they opposed the war. Motives in the remaining cases were unclear, according to the tally.
Those figures provide background, but they do not show why Anatoly allegedly set the fires. In his case, investigators have described online instructions and police are examining possible manipulation by scammers. The report gives no further details about the messages or any connection to the cases in Mediazona’s count.
“The teenager allegedly set the vehicles on fire “on instructions from handlers.””
— Investigative Committee
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The Messages and Motive Remain Unclear
The supplied report does not say what evidence investigators have gathered, who the alleged online handlers are, or what the messages contained. It also does not establish whether the teenager was contacted by scammers or otherwise manipulated; police are still examining that possibility. No statement from Anatoly, his family, or a lawyer is included.
Further details about the shooting are also absent. The ministry says the officer acted lawfully and that the teenager was grazed, but the report gives no fuller account of how the weapon was used, whether other people were present, or whether any separate review of the officer’s actions has begun. The teenager’s next legal steps and the formal status of the case were not specified.
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Investigators Continue the Inquiry
The immediate next step is the criminal investigation announced by the Investigative Committee. Investigators are expected to examine the fires and the teenager’s online communications as they pursue the sabotage suspicion, though the report does not give a timeline or specify planned investigative measures.
Authorities may also clarify whether they believe the teenager was manipulated and provide more information about the alleged handlers. The supplied account does not say when further updates will be issued, whether charges will be formally brought, or what action will follow regarding the officer’s use of a service weapon.
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Key Questions
Where did the fires happen?
Two police vehicles caught fire overnight on October 15 on the grounds of Police Station No. 3 in Yekaterinburg.
Was the teenager seriously injured?
The Interior Ministry’s regional directorate said the teenager was grazed by a bullet and was not taken to hospital. No further medical details were provided.
What is the teenager suspected of doing?
Investigators suspect him of sabotage and allege he set the police vehicles on fire after receiving instructions online. The allegation has not been presented as a court finding.
Do authorities say scammers were involved?
Police are examining whether the teenager was manipulated by scammers, but the report does not say that investigators have confirmed such involvement.
Source: rss
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