A string of arson attacks and explosions swept across multiple Russian cities on Saturday, raising questions about the scale and coordination of these acts. The perpetrators, many of whom confessed to being manipulated by telephone scammers, targeted a variety of public institutions and infrastructure.
The incidents included arson and explosions at bank ATMs, police vehicles, police departments, military recruiting offices, shopping malls and government service centers. Notably, one of the perpetrators was a 70-year-old pensioner detonated fireworks at the Fort shopping mall in Moscow, while another man, born in 1961, launched fireworks at the Helios shopping mall in Korolev before attempting to torch a local police station. In a particularly brazen act, a police riot control van was doused in gasoline and set ablaze.
In St. Petersburg, authorities detained two elderly individuals for allegedly trying to ignite a police vehicle. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Tobolsk, unidentified actors targeted critical infrastructure, setting fire to a snow-clearing railway vehicle. Other incidents included fireworks detonations at a Russian Post office in Khimki and a Sberbank branch in St. Petersburg. In Krasnoyarsk, a student reportedly set fire to a bank.
In just 24 hours, more than 10 separate arson and explosion incidents were recorded, all reportedly carried out under instructions from scammers. These coordinated acts raise concerns about underlying vulnerabilities in Russian society, particularly the apparent ease with which scammers are able to manipulate individuals into carrying out such destructive acts.
While authorities have apprehended several suspects, including elderly pensioners, the wave of attacks highlights a growing trend of chaos and discontent spreading across Russia. Whether these events are isolated acts of deception or part of a larger pattern remains unclear, but their frequency and audacity are certain to stoke fears of escalating unrest.
The list of attacks is extensive:
— In Moscow, one explosion occurred in a bank branch on Yana Rainis Boulevard in the South Tushino area. Preliminary, at about 20:00, a man entered the branch and detonated fireworks in the room where the ATMs are located;
— At a bank branch on Korovinskoye Highway in Moscow, they tried to break into an ATM using a fire extinguisher and then set it on fire: the ATM burned down;
— The day before, a woman set fire to an ATM on Klyazminskaya Street in Moscow;
— A 19-year-old student carried out an explosion in a bank in Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow region;
— In St. Petersburg, a 76-year-old woman brought powerful pyrotechnics to a bank branch and lit the fuse; 35 charges damaged the ceiling, furniture, and objects in the room;
— Also, a resident of St. Petersburg threw a Molotov cocktail at the building of the Leningrad Region military registration and enlistment office on the Fontanka embankment;
— In Krasnoyarsk, a 19-year-old student (in the photo) came to a bank branch with a canister of gasoline, poured it on an ATM and set it on fire. But she accidentally poured it on herself and also caught fire, the girl was hospitalized.
— A man led by scammers from Ukraine threw Molotov cocktails at the Odintsovo police station, shouting slogans in support of the SBU
— At the same time, another man spilled and set fire to fuel near a nearby bank.
— A 20-year-old young man has been detained in St. Petersburg on suspicion of setting fire to the building of the regional military registration and enlistment office on the Fontanka Embankment. According to the press service of the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the incident occurred on Friday afternoon, when he threw Molotov cocktails at the door and window.
Today, several police cars were set on fire in Russia: in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tver.
— In the capital, a police car was on fire in the Butovo area. Judging by the video, the arsonist was detained on the spot. While the guy was being handcuffed, eyewitnesses helped put out the car with snow.
— The car from St. Petersburg was less lucky: everything under the hood burned out. An underage girl was detained on suspicion of arson.
— In Tver, a police Gazelle, covered in snow and parked near the Zavolzhsky District Department of Internal Affairs on Shmidt Boulevard, was set on fire. A guy approached the car with a flammable liquid, poured it on it and set it on fire. He filmed the fire on camera — it is possible that the guy acted on orders from scammers.
Things in Russia are not going well.