Most of the recruits carried out their missions willingly, but some did so after being duped, the SBU spokesperson added.
"Underage people cannot foresee the consequences of their actions," making them especially vulnerable to Russian recruitment, Dekhtiarenko said.
Russia's campaign "started last spring with tasks of burning cars [and] electricity hubs along the railway," he said. Then they "upgraded their strategy and started burning military recruitment centers." Earlier this year, he said, "they switched to using Ukrainians as suicide bombers."
The problem has grown to such a scale that Ukrainian authorities have launched a nationwide awareness campaign, with warnings sent in mass text messages and plastered on billboards alongside highways, according to the Financial Times.
A video targeting teenagers to raise awareness of the matter teaches them "how not to fall into a trap and stay one step ahead" of the FSB.
SBU agents have also been invited to schools to teach children how to spot Russian attempts to groom them.
By the end of May, some 50 Ukrainian minors had reported attempts to bribe them on messenger apps, said Ukraine's juvenile police.
The recruitment channels follow a similar pattern: An anonymous user solicits youths over Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, or Viber with offers of quick and easy money.
Once contact has been made, Russian handlers give coordinates and instructions, ranging from photographing military objects to planting explosive devices or conducting arson attacks on energy infrastructure and recruitment offices. The promised payments range between $100 and $1,000.
Sometimes Russian spies recruit Ukrainians under the guise of "quests" — scavenger hunt-like games that are popular with teens.
Many children accused of the crimes have been charged and tried as adults, raising concerns. Under Ukraine's martial law, people charged with sabotage, terrorism, collaboration, and treason face lengthy sentences, which can include life imprisonment.