Russian court sentences teenager over attempted train derailment

The Second Eastern District Military Court in Novosibirsk, Russia, has sentenced a 17-year-old boy to 6.5 years in a juvenile correctional facility after he attempted to carry out a terrorist act, for attempted train derailment, allegedly on the orders of Ukraine’s Security Service.

The teenager from the Tomsk region joined an organisation in early 2025 that aimed to change Russia’s constitutional order, according to investigators and the court, as cited by Russian media.

He later established contact with a representative of the group and, in April 2025, agreed to carry out an assignment on railway tracks in exchange for payment.

The boy identified a suitable section of track, coordinated it, and on April 25 removed the connecting rail plates, which could have caused a train derailment. The minor was found guilty of preparing a terrorist act and high treason.

By Jeyhun Aghazada