Ukraine is warning its teenagers of nefarious social media tactics Russia is using to enlist unsuspecting users into commiting acts of terrorism, the New York Times reported Saturday.
For the past year, Russia has been targeting the nation’s youth via social media apps such as TikTok, Telegram, and Discord, offering large sums of cash to perform seemingly innocuous tasks.
Ukraine's top internal intelligence agency (SBU) has been conducting seminars to instruct their teenagers on how to spot the signs, including a video that shows stacks of cash followed by the graphic, "How not to fall into the trap of Russian intelligence services."
The SBU said a common tactic being used is offering money to do small things such as "Deliver a package. Take a photograph of a power substation. Spray graffiti."
In a recent class, an intelligence officer said one teenager was unwittingly turned into a suicide bomber by the Russians. He said others have nearly met the same fate.
"I remind you that criminal responsibility in Ukraine begins at 14 years of age," said the intelligence officer.
"Unfortunately, this easy money can lead either to criminal liability or to death."
The SBU said that more than 600 Ukrainians have been accused of trying to commit terrorism, sabotage, or arson after being recruited Russian intelligence, and of those roughly one-quarter were under 18.
Ukraine is not the only European country having to deal with Russia’s attempted recruitment. Last week, Reuters reported that more than a dozen teenagers from Germany, Poland, Britain, and Lithuania have been arrested in Russia-linked spy or sabotage cases.
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