Police in Yekaterinburg shoot 17-year-old suspected of setting two police cars on fire

A police officer in Yekaterinburg, a city in Russia's Sverdlovsk region, used his service weapon overnight on October 15 while detaining a 17-year-old suspected of setting fire to police vehicles. The regional directorate of Russia's Interior Ministry gave the account to the outlet Vecherniye Vedomosti.

According to the ministry, two police vehicles caught fire on the grounds of Police Station No. 3. The teenager was found at the scene. The ministry said the officer acted “in accordance with the law.” The bullet only grazed the teenager, and he was not taken to hospital.

Sabotage case opened

Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on suspicion of sabotage. Investigators allege the teenager set the vehicles alight on instructions from “handlers” with whom he had been exchanging messages online.

The teenager's first name is Anatoly. He is a first-year student at a vocational college, training as a computer operator, and had recently worked part-time as a cafe courier. Police had earlier placed him under the supervision of juvenile officers for smoking at school. Authorities are also checking whether scammers manipulated him.

Wider context

According to a May 2026 tally by the independent outlet Mediazona, at least 240 teenagers in Russia have been detained on terrorism or sabotage charges since the war began. In most cases, 205, the suspects said they were looking for easy money. Six teenagers committed arson after being manipulated by scammers, and five said they opposed the war. In the remaining cases, the motive was unclear.