Russia reports 12.3% rise in teenagers involved in crime

The number of teenagers aged 14–18 who committed crimes or were accomplices rose 12.3% in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period of 2025, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said on October 12.

The statistic concerns the number of young people, rather than the number of offences. Volk announced it while warning about fraudsters who seek to recruit school pupils and students into criminal activities.

According to her account, offenders offer money or threaten teenagers with prosecution for invented wrongdoing. They then demand actual crimes, including arson at petrol stations, railway facilities or involving official vehicles.

Volk said such approaches increasingly target young people, whereas older victims of telephone fraud had previously been a principal audience. RIA Novosti and TASS reported her remarks.

The reported increase is an overall figure for teenage involvement in crime. The statement does not specify what share of that rise resulted from online recruitment or how many cases involved the tactics she described.