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

A sentence of prison time for playing video games is pretty harsh, but it can happen to you if you're a kid in Russia.

Nikita Uvarov, who is 16 years old, was found guilty of "training for terrorist activities" by a Russian military court, after the teen plotted to destroy a virtual version of the FSB, the country's domestic intelligence agency...while playing Minecraft. He was sentenced to a five-year imprisonment.

The Moscow Times reports that Uvarov, along with his two friends, Bogdan Andreyev and Denis Mikhailenko were detained in 2020 for a variety of activities that the authorities came to conclude were part of a dangerous plot. In addition to preparing to blow up a virtual version of the FSB The trio also distributed fliers to show support for Azat Miftakhov who is an alleged Russian anarchist who was arrested for vandalism in 2019. Authorities have also claimed that they used improvised explosives to attack abandoned buildings.

As a result of all this, the boys were found guilty in recent times of "undergoing training with the intention of carrying out terrorist activities," and delivered prison sentences. Andreyev and Mikhailenko admitted guilt and later had their sentences suspended. games Uvarov however, insisted on his innocence and was sent to prison.

It's not totally clear if the government's assertion is that the video game was used as a kind of virtual training exercise for terrorist acts. Minecraft, the wildly loved video game, is renowned for allowing players to build their own custom-designed structures. The Russian government has made it clear that it believes the kids were not just playing around and were actually planning something grave.