The Kalininsky District Court ordered Vladimir, 16, held in custody for two months, the joint press service of St Petersburg courts said. He is charged under Part 3 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code, which covers assistance to terrorist activity.
According to the investigation, the teenager entered into correspondence with a representative of a terrorist organization and agreed to move weapons from one cache to another. Investigators allege he knew the weapons were intended for an attempt on the lives of law enforcement officers.
Fontanka reported that the organization in question is the Russian Volunteer Corps. According to the outlet, the teenager believed he was communicating with RVC representatives, but from September to October he was in fact corresponding with FSB officers. The court press service said security services identified him and that during the correspondence he allegedly confirmed his intentions.
On 15 October, Vladimir received the coordinates of a cache, travelled there and retrieved the weapons. He was detained as he moved away from the cache. According to Fontanka, he was carrying a Makarov pistol.
In court, the teenager did not admit guilt. He asked to be placed under house arrest, handed over to his mother's supervision, or made subject to a ban on certain actions. The court rejected those requests.
Since the start of the full-scale war, arson attacks on military enlistment offices, administrative buildings and railway relay cabinets have been recorded across Russia. Minors are frequently detained on suspicion of carrying them out, and cases are opened on charges of sabotage, terrorism and treason.
Mediazona has reported that over the years of the war hundreds of Russians have received long sentences on treason charges. Many of the cases rest on FSB provocations: officers identified people with anti-war views through online comments, wrote to them posing as Ukrainians, and used the correspondence as the basis for cases.