Russia’s Investigative Committee is handling a series of criminal cases involving the recruitment of teenagers and young adults for sabotage and terrorist attacks through the Daivinchik/Leo dating service on Telegram. Investigators say Ukrainian special services used the platform to approach Russian citizens, primarily minors.

A total of 19 people aged between 14 and 18 were detained in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Leningrad, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Saratov and Sverdlovsk regions, as well as in the Altai Territory and Chuvashia. The operations were carried out jointly by the Investigative Committee, the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry.

According to Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, Ukrainian intelligence personnel contacted the teenagers through the dating service and pushed them toward criminal activity.

The cases include charges related to terrorist attacks, assistance to terrorist activity, sabotage, the involvement of minors in crimes, and the deliberate destruction or damage of property.

In St. Petersburg, investigators merged 15 criminal cases opened between May 2025 and May 2026. They involve the torching of vehicles, administrative buildings and fuel pumps by underage users of the Telegram service. Investigators are now working to identify the specific Ukrainian intelligence personnel suspected of directing the recruits.

The Investigative Committee also outlined one of the most common recruitment methods. The perpetrators initially approached young men while posing as girls. They later sent phishing links and claimed that the victims’ accounts on government service portals had been hacked.

The teenagers were also asked to share the locations of their homes, schools, shopping centres, public spaces and other sites.

They were subsequently contacted by people pretending to represent Russian law enforcement agencies or government bodies. Investigators say the callers used threats, intimidation and psychological pressure to force the young men to carry out sabotage and terrorist offences, including attacks against transport infrastructure.

The Investigative Committee and other government agencies have raised the issue of blocking the resource. The agency urged parents to pay closer attention to their children’s social circles and online activity.

Minors were advised to avoid suspicious contact with strangers on the internet and to immediately report such incidents to relatives or law enforcement agencies.

The Investigative Committee also referred to Article 31 of the Russian Criminal Code. Under the provision, a person may be released from criminal liability after voluntarily and definitively abandoning plans to complete a crime.