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Teenager in Russia injured after picking up explosive device disguised as bundle of banknotes

Source: Interfax

A teenager in Perm sustained burns after picking up a device disguised as a bundle of banknotes that detonated when he lifted it off the ground, Perm Krai’s Territorial Security Ministry announced, according to the Russian news agency Interfax on April 21.

The teenager picked up the bundle, triggering an explosion that sounded like a firecracker, authorities said.

He sustained minor burns and did not require hospitalization. The fifth-grader suffered burns to his face and was in satisfactory condition, the Telegram channel Baza reported.

When the teenager tried to pick up what appeared to be a stack of banknotes, a “chemical trap” was triggered, causing a dye to get into his eyes, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported in preliminary findings. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on charges of hooliganism.

In November 2025, a 10-year-old boy in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, suffered hand injuries after picking up an explosive device disguised as a bundle of money. Witnesses said several of the boy’s fingers had been blown off.

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