In Podolsk, security officers detained a 13-year-old sixth-grade student suspected of setting fire to a gas station. This was reported by Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk.
According to the ministry, a criminal case on terrorism charges was opened after the incident. The teenager was taken to the local police department, where he gave his account of what had happened.
The Interior Ministry says the schoolboy had earlier begun corresponding with a girl in a messenger app and sent her the geolocation of a planned meeting. After that, he said, an unknown man contacted him and claimed that the location marker would allegedly be used for strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces.
After that, according to Irina Volk, the schoolboy was “forced by threats” to set fire to a fuel pump at the gas station.
Police say the teenager carried out the instruction at one of the gas stations in Podolsk. As a result, one fuel dispenser burned out.
The Interior Ministry stressed that no one was injured. The ministry also released video footage of the arson. The footage shows the teenager standing near the pump and talking on the phone at the time.