FSB Arrests Eight Young Men in Novosibirsk Over Sabotage Plot

In Novosibirsk, eight young men aged 16–18 have been detained, who, according to the authorities, formed an organized sabotage group. The teenagers managed to carry out only one subversive operation and were well-prepared for a second, but their plans were thwarted by counterintelligence agents. An NGS correspondent attended the court where pre-trial detention was chosen for the young Novosibirsk residents, and also found out who was targeted by the authorities and what their parents say.

Arrest

Eight young Novosibirsk residents were detained in the middle of the week, and on Friday, December 5, the Pervomaisky District Court considered investigators« petitions to send the suspects to a pre-trial detention center. An NGS correspondent, arriving at the scene, found out that pre-trial measures for the young Novosibirsk residents were chosen by several judges, who closed each hearing from outside eyes and ears.

At the entrance to the court building, near the security, women crowded together, anxiously talking to each other. From fragments of their conversations, it became clear: these were mothers who came to support their detained sons.

The Siberian women asked each other about the hearing times, and with concern, talked about the things they wanted to pass to their children. It gave the impression that the women had known each other for a long time, although perhaps they were united by recent shared grief.

The hearings took place in different halls, at the doors of which relatives of the detained Novosibirsk residents gathered in groups. For one, there were five people — these were close ones of three guys. One of the women stated that the young men are not friends, but simply acquainted with each other. They allegedly spent time together in a computer club and met periodically.

«Such an article is awful and scary,» said an NGS interlocutor. «He [son] wasn»t there, didn«t do anything. He just called a taxi.»

The woman showed the things she brought for her son, because «the ones he has are dirty.» The detained mother left the bags on the corridor floor, waiting for when they could be passed to the young man. The things were never accepted.

«No one said what can be passed, when and where. I don»t know [the other] children, don«t know anyone,» the woman lamented.

The court hearing lasted several hours, and to learn the details of the case, some relatives pressed their ears to the doors. Then relatives began to be called into the hall one by one. They awkwardly hurried to enter when their relatives« surnames were announced. One of the women, returning, could not hold back tears in the corridor.

First a Cabinet, Then a Locomotive

Investigators are now confident that the detainees were at least acquainted, which allowed them to maintain contact as part of a formed group. The group of friends is charged with sabotage (Part 2, Article 281 of the Criminal Code) and preparation for another subversive operation (Part 1, Article 30, point «a», Part 2, Article 281 of the Criminal Code).

The essence of the charges was partially revealed by employees of the judicial department. They noted that in the first episode, the young people set fire to a cellular base station, then fled the crime scene by taxi. Details of the second sabotage were not specified, emphasizing only that the goal of the operations was to undermine Russia«s economic security.

An NGS source familiar with the situation explained that the proposal to set fire to the cellular station came to 18-year-old Boris (name changed — Ed.) in one of the popular messengers at the end of November. According to the investigation, the guy quickly found like-minded people ready for desperate acts.

The probable saboteurs set fire to the station located on the territory of one of the SNT (horticultural non-profit partnerships) in the Pervomaisky District, and fled by taxi. The car was called by the 17-year-old son of the woman described above.

The next step in undermining the country«s economic security was to be the arson of a freight locomotive from one of the train compositions. On December 1, the guys were spotted on the tracks when they were setting fire to gasoline purchased at a gas station. It didn»t come to the locomotive.

«The unlawful activities of the accused were suppressed by employees of the Russian FSB Directorate for Novosibirsk Region and the Russian MVD Directorate for Transport for the Siberian Federal District,» the message says.

The probable saboteurs were very quickly caught one by one. Upon meeting with FSB employees, they quickly told about their involvement in the crime. On one of their phones, there was a video of him striking a lighter and the metal cabinet in front of him bursting into bright flames.

Who ordered the sabotage has not been established to date.

Martial Artists

The NGS editorial office attempted to compose approximate portraits of the detained guys. 18-year-old Boris, from whom the preparation of the sabotage allegedly began, actively maintains social media, mentioning that he works at one of the mixed martial arts clubs in the Dzerzhinsky District of Novosibirsk. The young man also runs a Telegram channel where he shares details of his life. Mostly, there is ordinary teenage content: photos and videos of walks and parties with friends.

«Work quietly, let success be noisy,» reads one of the quotes on the guy«s page.

Boris did not particularly hide, his account is completely open to social media users. For example, he shows the current geolocation of his gadget.

Two other guys are also connected to martial arts, specifically sambo. They actively engaged in sports and participated in competitions, their surnames are found on the social media of the sports club and one of the city«s sports schools. Information about the other members of the alleged sabotage group could not be found online.

On December 5, all eight accused were chosen pre-trial detention in the form of custody, they will be in the pre-trial detention center until February 3, 2026. The court rulings have not yet entered into legal force and can be appealed.

At the end of November, investigators initiated three criminal cases at once against 15-year-old teenagers who set fire to three cellular towers.