Russia’s new ad campaign uses teen slang to urge teens to back out of arson and sabotage jobs
Public service ads discouraging teenagers from committing arson and sabotage have appeared in St. Petersburg. Facebook users noticed one such banner, a rotating digital display.
St. Petersburg has recently launched a public service ad campaign featuring teen slang to discourage young Russians from participating in arson and sabotage activities. The campaign, called Vykhod31 ("Exit 31"), is part of the government's Obyasnyaem.rf initiative. Facebook users noticed rotating digital ads displaying smiling teenagers with captions such as "Coolly bailed on torching a relay cabinet and didn't get 10 years for arson."
The project aims to educate teenagers about the consequences of criminal activities, including the fact that law enforcement officers do not contact them through messaging apps. Over 240 teenagers have been detained for terrorism or sabotage charges since the start of the war with Ukraine, many of them lured by online advertisements posing as insurance fraud or shady schemes.
Human rights activists suspect provocateurs from the security services may be involved in these cases.
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