All the factors considered, Russia's alleged reward for betrayal of Daniil Bardadim to Daniil Bardadim is very trivial: $11,000 (£8,000) in cash and used BMW.
His 17-year-old Ukrainian got his promise of dealing with the Russians and wanted him to burn a branch of IKEA in Lithuania.
The refugees living in Poland, Bardadim, obviously felt that the offer was too good to pass. Lithuanian prosecutors claimed he crossed his country and burned the store in May 2024.
The Kremlin is no stranger to recruiting criminals and opportunists to do dirty work, offering rewards for cash or luxury through the encrypted Messenger app.
But the case of Bardadim – three Ukrainians in Germany and Switzerland this week were arrested on charges of conspiring to bomb Europe’s postal network, highlighting how Moscow reveled in trying to recruit people as secret agents from its vowed enemies.
Badadim was arrested in Vilnius by Lithuanian authorities in Vilnius after the fire. Since then, they have accused him of terror, while Poland has arrested his alleged accomplices of the Ukrainians.
Daniil Bardadim was charged with terror after allegedly attempting to burn IKEA in Lithuania.
Like many other cases of destruction by Russia in Europe, those who commit such attacks face long imprisonment – but the masterminds are hundreds of miles away in Moscow.
European security sources say the use of these so-called “one-off” agents are on the rise as Russia engages in a hybrid campaign against military sites, defense industrial plants and submarine cables.
In Germany, the process is called “destroying the economy” because Russian processors use the Messenger app on their phones.
But it was the use of the Ukrainians, the enemy of Russia, which was particularly shocking, military experts say is part of the Kremlin strategy.
“These are definitely Russian spy tactics,” said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a security analyst and former British tank commander.
“This agent can be performed under the radar [due to their nationality]but the impact of what they do is doubled: it produced a huge reaction from the Western public and the press, who were shocked by this Ukrainians. It led the Russian media to claim that the Ukrainians did not really support the West, but instead tried to attack them. ”
He added that the Kremlin not only offers cash rewards, but can sometimes turn to blackmail, such as threatening family members.
“If Russians want to achieve some kind of goal, whether it's cash, flashy cars, sex or drugs, there's really no limit for Russians,” he said.
In Ukraine itself, pro-Russian spoilers have been a major issue since the Russian initial invasion in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea. Teens are said to be particularly easy targets for Russian spies to embellish on social media.
SBU warns parents about Russian tactics
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service has issued a warning letter to parents, highlighting the risks of Russian agents who may try to reach children through their cell phones.
“Dear parents, let's imagine a very real situation. Your child is sitting on his phone as usual. Suddenly, a stranger wrote to him: “Hello, you want to make five thousand dollars.” [Ukrainian] Hryvnias? ” pointed out a letter seen by the Telegram.
It goes on to explain how teenagers hired in Ukraine and Russia initially asked for minor tasks, such as taking pictures of buildings or painting graffiti. The task then slowly and ruthlessly becomes more severe, eventually reaching its final form in plots that destroy rail lines or switch boards.
By then, the letter warned: “Unfortunately, not everyone [children] Have time to know that they have become victims”.
Ukrainian security forces warn parents that Russian agents may try to contact children via cell phone
Ukrainian authorities say they foiled a series of attacks of this nature, such as the April plot relied on teenagers to plant explosives at Ukrainian military sites.
Last December, Russian agents tried to hire a teenager to carry out an uninformed suicide bombing on Ukrainian military facilities in Keefe. The bomb was made by two women from Vinnytsia Opmast, and the teenager asked to transport it didn't know it would be self-detailed. According to the defense blog, Ukrainian security forces foiled operations before detonating the bomb.
In another case, in March this year, Russian spies hired two 15- and 17-year-olds to build simple explosive devices. When they delivered the equipment, their Russian processors detonated it remotely. The explosion immediately killed the 17-year-old and seriously injured the 15-year-old boy.
In March, Moscow hired two Ukrainian teenagers to create a bomb, and Russian processors exploded remotely
While the promise of fast cash may appeal to some young people, there is a sting in Badadim’s story, the teenager accused of being behind the IKEA fire in Lithuania.
According to the New York Times, all details of the plot were reported for the first time, Russia did hand over the BMW payments before the attack.
But the other half of Badadim’s payments – $11,000 – was never realized.
