Kremlin's risky gambit exploits Ukrainian teens via "innocent" quest games

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has a new tactic that involves employing Ukrainian children to carry out criminal activities under the guise of “quest games.”

Capturing Russian intelligence agents in Ukraine isn’t uncommon. However, what is unusual is when groups are comprised of teenagers ages 15 to 16 years old.

According to the Ukrainian government, two groups of FSB agents were detained by Ukrainian law enforcement this past week. These groups consisted of Ukrainian teenagers.

It said that the minors were carrying out hostile tasks, including gathering intelligence, coordinating attacks, and committing arson.

The teenagers would take pictures of Ukrainian air defense installations that are defending the city of Kharkiv and would set fire to structures that allowed Ukrainian forces to move toward the eastern front.

These minors would commit these acts under the orders of the FSB. However, the FSB’s orders were in a game format, which made it easier to manipulate the children into completing the “quests.”

The games were structured like popular geolocation quests. Players would receive a specific location, travel to it, take a picture, and then briefly describe the area.

All the intelligence the teenagers gathered would then be sent to their FSB supervisor via an anonymous chatroom. This information would then be used to carry out airstrikes in Kharkiv.

According to the Ukrainian government, the security services of Ukraine detained the members of the group and have identified the FSB “liaison officer” as a Russian police officer who cooperates with the Russian secret services.