Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, phone scammers have orchestrated at least 187 arson attacks on military enlistment offices, banks, vehicles, and other targets in Russia, according to Mediazona, which analyzed media reports, law enforcement statements, and court records.
As the full-scale war’s third anniversary approaches, journalists note that arson attacks on enlistment offices — once a hallmark of anti-war protests — are now more often the result of scams. Typically, scammers impersonate law enforcement officers to extort money from victims, later promising to return the funds if the victims agree to carry out an attack, Mediazona reported.
In 2024 alone, scammers were reportedly responsible for at least 92 arson attacks, while only one attack was politically motivated. That incident occurred on February 16, the day Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny died in prison, when a ninth-grader threw a Molotov cocktail at a United Russia office in Moscow.
In 2022, only six scam-related attacks were reported, compared with 71 anti-war arson incidents.
Mediazona also noted that scam victims are generally punished less severely than anti-war activists. Most often, they are charged with property damage, followed by terrorism-related charges and then disorderly conduct. Of the 56 cases that resulted in verdicts, 30 defendants received suspended sentences, while 13 were sentenced to jail or prison. Others were fined, ordered to perform community service, mandated to seek medical treatment, or placed on parole.
By contrast, politically motivated arson cases have resulted in harsher penalties. Mediazona found 66 such cases that have led to verdicts, with the majority (54) resulting in prison sentences. In 24 cases, sentences exceeded 10 years, with the longest sentence reaching 19 years.
