Executive summary
State intelligence agencies are increasingly exploiting minors for espionage and sabotage, particularly adolescents in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war. This tendency, driven by the accessibility of youth through encrypted messaging platforms and reward-based recruitment tactics, is likely to expand beyond the Ukraine war context into other regions.
Over the past year, Russia has systematically recruited Ukrainian minors to conduct sabotage, surveillance, and even terror attacks — often using Telegram or coercive tactics. Consequently, Ukraine is adopting similar methods inside Russian territory, with dozens of minors detained for alleged sabotage in 2024–2025. At the same time, cases outside the war zone — from South Korea to Lithuania — show teens acting on foreign intelligence orders. Western security agencies now openly warn that hostile states and extremist groups are grooming adolescents online for espionage and covert action. As digital platforms lower the barrier for recruitment, the line between statecraft and youth exploitation continues to blur, thus posing a growing threat to international stability.
Images Sourced From: TVP
