The two patrol cars belonging to the traffic police burned in a car park outside Police Department No. 28 on Marata Street. According to Fontanka, Mash na Moike and 78.RU, a girl set the vehicles on fire, and the moment was caught on surveillance cameras.
Outlets initially reported that a pensioner was involved. It later emerged that a minor had been detained: Mash na Moike and 78.RU report that she is 14, while Fontanka says she is 15. Police have opened a criminal case, the charge is unknown, and Interior Ministry officers are questioning the girl.
The footage shows her in a white jumpsuit walking up to the cars, dousing them with a flammable liquid, setting them alight and running away. The video was published by local media and Telegram channels.
According to Fontanka, the teenager may have been acting on instructions from fraudsters. No other details about her motives have been given.
By Mediazona's count as of May 2026, at least 240 teenagers in Russia have been detained on terrorism or sabotage charges since the start of the war. In 205 cases their actions were attributed to a desire to find easy work on the side, six people carried out arson under the influence of fraudsters, and five said they opposed the war. The motives of the rest were unclear.