Two teenagers in Kabardino-Balkaria are suspected of manufacturing an explosive device.

A 15-year-old and 17-year-old resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, suspected of attempting to make a homemade explosive device, have been taken into custody.

A criminal case has been opened in Kabardino-Balkaria against a 15-year-old and 17-year-old local resident, suspected under Part 3 of Article 30, Part 2 of Article The Investigative Committee announced today that Article 223.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (attempted manufacture of explosive devices committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy) has been filed.

"According to investigators, in early March 2026, the suspects communicated with an individual located in Ukraine via a messenger app. Following his instructions, the teenagers purchased components for an improvised explosive device, which they intended to manufacture and assemble in an apartment rented for this purpose. The suspects were detained by police officers while transporting the components of the explosive device," the agency's website stated.

The teenagers have been remanded in custody, the Investigative Committee noted.

Part 2 of Article 223.1 of the Russian Criminal Code provides for 10 to 15 years' imprisonment with a fine of 300,000 to 800,000 rubles or in the amount of their salary or other income. Sentenced to a term of one to three years.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on January 17, security forces announced the arrest of a 16-year-old resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, accused of plotting an attack on police officers in Nalchik on orders from a representative of a terrorist organization. According to security forces, in October 2025, the teenager joined a terrorist organization and, after receiving instructions via instant messaging, purchased components for making an explosive device.

The investigation's theory that the 16-year-old planned to assemble an explosive device to attack security forces does not seem unrealistic. In recent years, numerous minors have been charged with terrorism-related offenses, according to human rights activists and a lawyer.

On July 4, 2025, an attack on a traffic police patrol occurred in Nalchik, injuring a police officer. One attacker was shot dead, and the second escaped. In September, investigators reported the arrest of a teenager born in 2008, whom security forces believe was the second person involved in the attack. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear, but the mere presence of residents of the republic willing to use weapons does not indicate a rise in radical sentiments in Kabardino-Balkaria, analysts noted.

In early March 2026, a court sentenced a resident of Dagestan to 13 years in prison, finding him guilty of attempting to create a militant group and recruiting acquaintances, including two teenagers, into it.

The intensification of the radical underground in the North Caucasus may be linked to external actors, but they are also receiving assistance from within Russia, analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted in March 2024.