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The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced an 18-year-old resident of Ingushetia to eight years in a penal colony on charges of preparing a terrorist act, participating in a terrorist organization, and illegal weapons trafficking. He was also fined approximately $400.
According to Russian law enforcement, six residents of Ingushetia, whose names have not been disclosed, were detained in Nazran and Kantyshevo in August 2024. Among them were the convicted young man and two minors. Investigators claim that they allegedly joined an international terrorist organization banned in Russia and planned an attack on a church in the town of Sunzha, as well as armed attacks on law enforcement officers.
Security forces stated that firearms and explosive devices were found in a cache that they claim had been prepared by the teenagers on the outskirts of the Sunzhensky District.
The court found the young man guilty of participating in a terrorist organization (which carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison under Russian law), participating in an illegal armed formation (up to 8 to 15 years), as well as preparing a terrorist attack and the illegal handling of weapons and explosives.
In addition to the prison term, he was fined 30,000 rubles (about $400). His case was tried separately from those of two other defendants who were minors at the time of the alleged events. The case of another suspected accomplice continues to be heard by the same court. Another defendant, who was diagnosed with a mental disorder, has been sent for compulsory medical treatment.
The prevention of the alleged attack on the Orthodox church in Sunzha was announced by security forces a month after a high-profile terrorist attack in Dagestan in 2024. On June 23 of that year, during the Pentecost holiday, armed men attacked synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala. According to authorities, at least 22 people were killed and 46 were injured as a result.
In Ingushetia and other republics of the North Caucasus, Russian security forces regularly report arrests in connection with terrorism-related cases.
In June 2026, the FSB (Federal Security Service) of Russia announced that it had prevented a series of terrorist attacks and detained three people in Adygea, Krasnodar Krai, and Tyumen Oblast. According to the security service, the detainees were preparing attacks “on the instructions of Ukrainian special services.”
In April 2026, it was reported that the Southern District Military Court would hear the case of 11 people accused of preparing terrorist attacks in Dagestan in 2024. Investigators claimed that they planned explosions near a military unit in Kizlyar, as well as the buildings of the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs) and the FSB.
According to the leadership of the FSB and the National Antiterrorism Committee, since 2006, more than 2,500 armed militants have been eliminated in the North Caucasus, and about 5,000 of their suspected accomplices have been detained.
In January 2026, the Investigative Committee of Russia reported the detention of a 16-year-old schoolboy from Kabardino-Balkaria on suspicion of preparing attacks on police officers.
In July 2025, a 16-year-old teenager suspected of preparing a terrorist attack near a local MVD department was detained in Dagestan.
According to official data, 155 teenagers aged 14 to 17 are included in the Russian registry of individuals involved in terrorism and extremism. In total, the list contains about 18,000 people.
There is no information in open sources regarding the convicted youth’s stance on the charges, whether he pleaded guilty, or whether an appeal has been filed.