Fifth-grader tried to set fire to police cars in St. Petersburg

The head of the public order department of the Vyborgsky District Department of Internal Affairs, a police lieutenant colonel, on Friday evening prevented an attempt to set fire to service vehicles near the 58th department on Kho Sh Minh Street. The officer noticed a suspicious boy who was secretly photographing the transport.

The lieutenant colonel approached the teenager, started a conversation, and took his phone to talk to the interlocutor. The latter immediately disconnected. Upon inspecting the schoolboy«s bag, a canister of gasoline and a lighter were found.

The investigation revealed that the 13-year-old fifth-grade student, who lives near the police department, met an unknown person in a Telegram chat bot. After receiving a photo of the teenager«s house, the person began blackmailing him, promising to initiate a criminal case for state treason against his parents. To »save« the family, the schoolboy was offered to set fire to police cars.

The teenager and his parents now face a meeting with employees of the juvenile affairs department. Criminal liability does not threaten him due to his age. The Vyborgsky District Department of Internal Affairs strongly urged adults to have preventive conversations with children. «Talk to them, we can»t take it anymore,« a source stated.

Earlier, at the end of 2025, in two districts of St. Petersburg, a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old schoolboy were detained, who were similarly pushed to commit terrorist acts.