What’s behind the rise of teens spying for Russia?

This is an adapted and fully-annotated blog post version of my latest video essay. Last year, Ukraine’s SBU security service published a video warning teenagers against becoming unwitting spies for Russia’s FSB security agency. Teens would receive instructions from Russian handlers via Telegram, Discord, and other social media, offering rewards, including cash and cryptocurrency. In exchange, they’d complete an escalating series of tasks. They’d start out spraying graffiti and putting up anti-government posters, then they’d move up to taking photos of military personnel and installations and planting GPS trackers. If they were successful, they’d move on to arson and even assassinations. The video ends by saying that the SBU is watching and will definitely find you, and that if you’re approached by a Russian recruiter, you should contact a secure Telegram chatbot called “Burn the FSB agent”. The reason Ukraine published this video is because in 2025, almost a quarter of the 800 people…