Russia uses video games to recruit kids

Russia has turned the internet into another battlefield. From messengers to game servers, its agents try to shake Ukraine from the inside by luring youth into serious crimes.

KYIV, Ukraine — If your teenage kid is in danger, you might see signs. New, suspiciously fancy items they shouldn’t be able to afford, their phone buzzing with notifications even at night, and getting secretive about their online whereabouts, to name a few.

Then again, those changes can look like any other phase of growing up… until they aren’t. A college student from the town of Shostka in the frontline Sumy region is currently serving 8 years in jail for national treason. According to the court, he had been ‘leaking’ coordinates of strategic objects to the Russian army for two years and putting his family in danger – only to have his life ruined in return.

Beyond its efforts to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia is trying to shake the country from the inside through propaganda, information campaigns, and empty promises on the internet. Often, Russian agents reach out to children online and offer them tempting rewards for easy tasks. Teenagers who take on the challenge gradually spiral from painting provocative graffiti to spying on Ukrainian troops or even carrying out terrorist attacks.

Early in the morning on March 23, multiple loud explosions near a block of flats in Bucha, a town about 16 miles west of Kyiv, injured two police officers. A few hours later, a 21-year-old suspect was arrested. The 21-year-old suspect was reportedly working for Russia, which contacted him through the video game World of Tanks. He is now in custody and could get up to 12 years in prison for a terrorist attack.

In July 2024, Russian agents lured two South African citizens into the war against Ukraine via the gaming platform Discord.

In the age of the internet, nations whose governments control the press and the flow of information — like Russia, China and Iran — are increasingly leveraging online tools to push their agendas. As governments around the globe get bolder and more creative in their online manipulations, internet users must be extremely wary to avoid being dragged into crime.

Vasyl Filonenko, an information security trainer at the NGO Dignity Online, dedicates his life to protecting Ukrainian children from digital threats. He travels across Ukraine to tell kids about the various threats lurking online and creates guidelines on how to discuss safe web surfing for their parents and teachers.

Vasyl Filonenko. Photo provided by Dignity Online

Vasyl has taught history at a high school in Kyiv for seven years, and he knows for sure that digital competencies are crucial to succeed in present-day Ukraine. Working with children, he quickly realized that he knew nothing about the online world and that simply reading books or attending webinars was not enough. He then joined Dignity Online to help his elderly colleagues get acclimated to technology and educate their students about the risks they can face in the digital realm.

Now, three and a half years later, he has developed about 20 ready-made lessons on online safety and mental health for different grades.

Vasyl himself is not immune to the danger. One time, he received a suspicious offer “to mark some objects on Yandex maps” for money and blocked the suspicious account without any communication. He, too, has faced cyberbullying in online games.

“Even if you don’t have your own children, we still live in the same society, in a civil society. And I would like our society to be educated so that it could react adequately to any challenges, any threats in this volatile world,” he said.

One in five Ukrainians recruited by Russia to commit crimes is below 18, according to the Security Service of Ukraine. In 2025, children carried out 130 crimes against the national security of Ukraine, which is four times more than the previous year.

Vasyl believes that the real numbers might be even higher, as statistics have not been gathered from the very beginning of the war. When asked who is most vulnerable to Russian influence on the internet, he replied that no one is safe.

“Russians mostly target teens aged from 13 to 18 years, and nine out of ten are boys. Still, when it comes to any threats in the digital realm, we should remember that anyone, regardless of age and gender, can become a victim. Even you personally,” he cautioned.

Children’s Council of Dignity Online at Vasyl’s training session about online security in Kyiv, March 28. Photo from the Dignity Online website.

First, strangers tempt teenagers by promising easy money or tickling their nerves with a cool task, be it spray-painting the wall or closely watching a car that belongs to military personnel. If the kid takes the bait and completes the assignment, the following ones grow more complex and dangerous. But the worst things begin once he or she tries to get off the hook.

“Certain means of manipulation turn on, and it is very difficult to get rid of them,” Vasyl explained. “Let’s say, with the help of artificial intelligence, they would receive some child’s material and blackmail the child with it. They can even threaten to kill his or her parents.”

Terrified by such threats or a punishment from adults for falling for the trap in the first place, the teen might be reluctant to tell anyone that they became a victim of Russian agents. Now, they are caught deeper in malicious schemes, like a fly in a spider’s web, and it never ends well. While their peers go to prom, make friends, fall in love and pursue their dream careers, most adolescent criminals end up behind bars. Others might even get killed in the explosions they set up for Russian agents.

Sometimes, the conversation takes a completely different direction when a Russian pretends to work for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and asks for help to ‘defeat the enemy.’ In this case, parents need to explain one simple thing: no one would ask a child for help with an adult’s job, so it is better to take screenshots and report these suspicious accounts to the real SBU immediately.

Vasyl used to think that children from poorer families were more likely to fall for the rewards Russians offer for committing a crime, but the reality turned out to be even harsher. Even if the parents can afford most things their child needs, he or she might still jump at the chance to earn some money independently, no matter the means.

Still, the biggest threat we face online could lie within ourselves. One trait that all victims have in common is their unjustified self-confidence. Even aware of what the enemy could do to them online, most internet users tend to believe they are immune to falling victim — a common fallacy.

“We shouldn’t underestimate Russians. They are extremely smart, cunning, cold-blooded, and cruel. And they treat people who cooperate with them as consumable material,” he said.

Vasyl telling teens about the risks they might face on popular online platforms. Photo provided by Dignity Online

Russian agents can get in touch with Ukrainian kids almost anywhere. One of the most common ways is on Telegram, a very popular messaging app in Ukraine. Despite its ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service, Telegram remains extremely popular in Ukraine. The latest large-scale research on Ukrainian youth conducted in July 2024 shows that more than 80 percent of teenagers used the messaging platform every day. About 92 percent of the entire Ukrainian population open the app at least weekly.

Although not yet as common as other tactics, Vasyl said that gaming groups and services are dangerous platforms on the rise.

“Potential communication can take place on [multiplayer game platforms and forums, such as] Steam, Discord, Riot Games, Roblox, and in any online game, such as Minecraft and the like,” he said. “This is how the ‘illusion of the bedroom’ works – when you are relaxed and physically safe, you think you’ll be fine online.”

Thanks to preventive measures, more and more teenagers have learned to be skeptical. In 2025, about 120 potential victims reported attempts to recruit them for dangerous tasks. Some of them even received awards for their quick actions. In July 2025, two boys from Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipro region helped identify Russian agents and were given gifts by the National Police and Security Service of Ukraine.

A teenager receiving an award for reporting Russian agents on the internet. Photo by the Security Service of Ukraine.

In Vasyl’s opinion, Ukraine is facing such a challenge for the first time in history. Responding to the online threat without relying on any prior experience is a task for everyone: parents, law enforcement, the education system, and ordinary users.

He is convinced that the best way to protect Ukrainian kids against Russian tactics online is to build mutual trust with the children through communication. Instead of total control or intimidating serious conversations about safety, parents should try to understand the context and express a keen interest in what their child is doing online. If Vasyl had a child, they would talk about the digital world a lot and play online games together.

“Communication has to be systematic,” Vasyl explained. “Kids need to know you will not scold them if they come to you with a problem or ask for advice. Also, you need to do a huge pile of work and figure out what skins are there in Brawl Stars and what a standoff is,” he said, referencing online gaming terminology. “If they start to pull a joke from Roblox,” which is a gaming platform where users can create and play games together, “it is very difficult to communicate without understanding what Roblox is.”

In his own training sessions, Vasyl tries to establish similar trust and comfort with the young listeners, and his efforts seem to pay off. He vividly remembers a lesson he once conducted at primary school: After the bell rang, kids ran up to him, the teacher, hugging him and asking him to come back to school once more. Surrounded by excited, grateful students, Vasyl felt that his work truly had meaning to it.

Even if he couldn’t give them a specific plan for every situation, he surely instilled in them an interest in learning, and this spark is key to keeping up with our rapidly evolving battlefields.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Serafima Melnychuk

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

U.S.–UKRAINE INVESTMENT TO APPROVE SECOND PROJECT: The U.S.–Ukraine reconstruction fund is expected to approve its second investment this summer, with a further project planned by the end of 2026, Yegor Perelygin, Ukraine's deputy economy minister, told Reuters.

The reconstruction fund was established according to the minerals deal with the US in the areas like critical minerals among others.

The first investment of the fund was made into the company Sine Engineering.

UKRAINE’S DEFENSE MINISTRY LAUNCHES DRONE ASSAULT UNITS: Ukraine has established a unit called drone assault formations, which comprises aerial and ground drones, and foot soldiers forming an all-encompassing fighting force. This unit, according to the Defense Ministry, heralds a new form of warfare aimed at improving efficiency, cutting costs, and reducing fatalities.

UKRAINE SECURED NEW RAMSTEIN AID PLEDGES: Ukraine will get new military assistance from allies following the Ramstein talks, including drones, air defense, and logistic support, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

Five nations agreed to contribute to the list of prioritized needs that NATO compiled for Ukraine, according to Zelenskyy. Norway pledged more than $500 million for drones and $150 million for logistical assistance, whereas the Netherlands pledged over €200 million for drones.

ZELENSKYY AND ITALY’S PM AGREE TO IMPROVE THEIR DEFENSE TIES: After talks in Rome, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decided to collaborate more in the defense sector, including drone production.

The two heads of state emphasized that their delegations would work out the specifics of the partnership, but no details were disclosed. In the statement of the Italian PM, Meloni emphasized that the discussions centered on strengthening their defense relationship.

SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN PUT BACK IN PLACE AGAINST RUSSIAN OIL: The Treasury Department has officially said that they will not extend temporary waivers that would allow Russian oil exports.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, said during a White House press briefing that this move was never meant to be a big favor to Russia. Instead, it was meant to stabilize oil prices on the world market by sending oil from China to America’s allies.

FRANCE TO JOIN AGREEMENT IN TRIBUNAL AGAINST RUSSIA: The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, has stated that France has officially become part of the initiative to create a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The number of countries involved now stands at 18.

According to him, there will be an important decision in May when the Council of Europe meets in Chișinău, and he called upon additional countries to join the effort, which seeks to hold Russia’s leadership accountable for initiating the war against Ukraine.

UK PAID FINAL INSTALLMENT OF $1.02 BLN FOR LOAN TO UKRAINE: Ukraine received £752 million out of £2.26 billion loan ($1.02 billion out of $3.07 billion) from the UK under the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme.

The scheme was signed in March 2025 and is structured as a 30-year loan with an intention to enhance Ukraine’s defense capacities through the use of funds raised by freezing Russian government assets overseas. Thus far, in March and April, £1.5 billion was already transferred, and the above loan completes the sum of £2.26 billion pledged by the UK.

PENGUIN OF WAR:

Nastia saw these penguins in the zoo during her one-day trip to Kharkiv. Although there was an air raid alert, one of many that day, the visitors were allowed to stay, and Nastia and her friend found these cuties.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Oleksandra