EPISODE · Oct 15, 2025 · 17 MIN
Sabotage by smartphone
from The Documentary Podcast · host BBC World Service
Ukrainian teenagers are being recruited online to carry out sabotage against their own country in return for cryptocurrency, and for some the consequences are deadly. Ukraine accuses Russia of using Telegram to offer minors large sums of money to plant bombs or stage arson attacks. There have even been allegations that some recruits have been blown up while transporting explosive devices. This episode features a rare interview with a Ukrainian teenager who is currently awaiting trial after authorities claim they caught him planting a bomb in a vehicle used by the conscription service. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC Trending in-depth reporting on the world of social media.
What this episode covers
Ukrainian teenagers are being recruited online to carry out sabotage against their own country in return for cryptocurrency, and for some the consequences are deadly. Ukraine accuses Russia of using Telegram to offer minors large sums of money to plant bombs or stage arson attacks. There have even been allegations that some recruits have been blown up while transporting explosive devices. This episode features a rare interview with a Ukrainian teenager who is currently awaiting trial after authorities claim they caught him planting a bomb in a vehicle used by the conscription service. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC Trending in-depth reporting on the world of social media.
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Sabotage by smartphone
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