Siberian Teens Convicted To Prison For Plotting To Blow Up Minecraft Version Of FSB Building

It''s a bit gruesome to be punished for playing a videogame however, it''s possible if you are Russian-born.

Nikita Uvarov, 16 years old, was recently found guilty of "training for terrorist activities" by an Russian military court, following the teen plotted to detonate a virtual version of the FSB which is the country''s domestic intelligence agency...while playing Minecraft. Servers He was sentenced to five years in prison.

The Moscow Times reports that Uvarov and two of his friends, Bogdan Andreyev and Denis Mikhailenko were detained in 2020 for a variety of crimes that the government was able to conclude were part of a dangerous plot. The trio had planned to blow up the virtual FSB and distributed flyers in support of Azat Miftakhov (a Russian anarchist) who was also detained for vandalism in 2019. Authorities say they also tried to make improvised explosive devices, putting them on abandoned buildings.

All of this led to the boys being found guilty of "undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist acts" and were sentenced to prison. Andreyev and Mikhailenko admitted guilt and later were granted a suspended sentence. Uvarov was, however, adamant about his innocence, and was sent off to prison.

It is unclear whether the government is claiming that the video game was used to prepare terrorists. Minecraft is a hugely played video game, is famous for allowing players to build their own custom-designed structures. Russian authorities have stated that they believe that the teens were not playing around but actively planning something grave.