In Russia, a 16-year-old who set fire to a civilian helicopter on instructions from Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for terrorism. The arson occurred at Noyabrsk Airport in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in September 2024, and the other perpetrator, aged 13, was placed in a closed educational institution.
According to a statement from Russia's Investigative Committee (SK), on the night of September 11, 2024, two seventh-grade students sneaked onto the airport apron and set fire to a parked Mi-8T civilian helicopter. The investigation found that the teenagers carried out the act on instructions from Kyiv and in exchange for a promise of money.
The perpetrator, who was hospitalized with minor burns and is now 16, was convicted of 'terrorism' and 'causing significant property damage as part of a group by prior agreement.' The court ordered that the defendant be held in a juvenile correctional facility for 8 years. The other child, aged 13, was sent to a closed educational institution because he was below the age of criminal responsibility.
The helicopter's owner, UTair Airlines, confirmed that the Mi-8T aircraft was completely burned and rendered irreparable. The company stated that the material damage amounted to 59 million rubles (approximately $600,000).
The SK also announced that a security company employee and the airport director had previously been convicted for failing to ensure airport security. A Noyabrsk resident who did not inform authorities about the planned attack was also punished for failing to report a terrorist crime. Yamal Governor Dmitry Artyukhov stated after the incident that the children had effectively been driven to commit the crime.
