Russia doubles number of minors labelled "terrorists and extremists" in 2025

The number of minors added to the Russian government’s official register of “terrorists and extremists” more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year.

Rosfinmonitoring, the state agency that oversees the list, included at least 341 people under the age of 18 this year, as authorities stepped up the application of anti-extremism legislation, according to a report by the independent outlet Verstka Media.

As the publication notes, the number of under-18s placed on the list rose from 161 in 2024 to more than twice that figure this year, and was nearly six times higher than in 2023, when only 51 minors were added.

The youngest person on the register remains 14-year-old Timofei Mamoshkin from Russia’s western Ryazan region, who faces terrorism-related charges. The publication points out that the specific grounds for his inclusion have not been publicly disclosed.

Overall, 4,018 individuals were added to the register in 2025, a 26% increase from 2024 and the highest annual total recorded in the past seven years.

In 2025, most new entries were classified as “terrorists,” totalling 2,783 people, while another 1,235 were designated as “extremists.” For comparison, in 2024 the respective figures were 2,244 and 925, and in 2023 they stood at 1,224 and 604. According to the latest reports, nearly 20,000 individuals and entities have been included on the register to date.

A law that took effect on June 1, 2025 expanded the criteria for inclusion on the Rosfinmonitoring list, allowing authorities to add individuals charged with spreading military “fakes” or “discrediting” the Russian army. Since then, several high-profile figures have been added, including vlogger Ilya Varlamov, Yabloko opposition politician Lev Shlosberg, and multiple journalists from TV Rain, one of Russia’s few remaining independent media outlets.

The register of terrorists and extremists is used to track individuals and organizations deemed to be involved in extremist or terrorist activities. Maintained primarily for law enforcement and financial oversight, the list is distributed by Rosfinmonitoring to banks, pawnshops, casinos, real estate agencies and other institutions to monitor financial and property transactions.

Inclusion on the list carries severe financial restrictions. Under Russian law, all bank accounts belonging to listed individuals must be frozen, and they are barred from conducting most financial transactions. Limited exceptions are allowed for receiving and spending salaries—capped at 10,000 rubles (approx. $130) per month—as well as pensions, scholarships and social benefits.

Those listed are also prohibited from founding nonprofit organizations or public associations, teaching minors, or engaging in real estate transactions. 

By Nazrin Sadigova