February 18, 2026

Two teenagers sentenced to 7 to 7.5 years in prison for setting fire to a military helicopter in Omsk. They were ordered to compensate the Ministry of Defense for 668 million rubles.

The 2nd Eastern District Military Court passed sentence on two teenagers from Omsk who set fire to a Mi-8 helicopter at a military airfield. This was reported by Interfax, citing the official representative of the FSB Directorate for the Omsk Region, Irina Rusnak. The court found the teenagers guilty under the article on committing a terrorist act by prior conspiracy (Part 2, Article 205 of the Criminal Code). One young man was sentenced to seven years in prison, the other to 7.5 years. Until they turn 18, they will be held in a juvenile correctional facility, after which they will be transferred to a general regime colony. They were also ordered to pay compensation to the Ministry of Defense in the amount of 668 million rubles. According to the investigation, in September 2024, the teenagers entered a military airfield and set fire to a Mi-8 using a homemade incendiary mixture. They were detained within 24 hours. The young men told law enforcement officers that they were carrying out a task for an unknown person who promised to pay them 20,000 dollars but ultimately did not. The teenagers recorded a video of the arson and sent it to this person as a report. At the time of their arrest, the schoolchildren were 16 years old, as reported by the press service of the Omsk region courts.