Do not touch with your hands: how explosives ended up on a playground in Krasnogorsk
The accident with a boy in Krasnogorsk, who found a "gift box" with explosives near a playground and lost four fingers, is a dangerous trend, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. The child is currently in a serious condition in the hospital, and a criminal case has been opened. According to the Investigative Committee, the mass of the explosive device reached 10 g in TNT equivalent. This is enough to rip off a person's hand or fingers, experts say. On November 12, reports of suspicious banknotes tied with a gift ribbon came from several districts of Moscow, but no explosives were found on the spot. How to act in case of detection of suspicious or even attractive objects on the street is described in the Izvestia article.
Attempted murder of a minor
In Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, a child lost four fingers after picking up a banknote near a playground. As established by the Investigative Committee, on the evening of November 11, 2025, a ten-year-old boy, passing by an apartment building, found a gift box with a ten-ruble bill attached on the ground and picked it up. An "unidentified explosive device" was hidden inside, which detonated — as a result, the child's hand and phalanges were damaged.
— One man who also helped, there were three of us, came running, said that the ambulance had asked to bring a finger. So he picked up, as I understand it, his thumb and took it to the paramedics," said eyewitness Alexei.
The injured boy was hospitalized at the L.M. Roshal Children's Center, where he underwent surgery, the regional Ministry of Health reported. Tatiana Shapovalenko, director of the L.M. Roshal Children's Research and Clinical Center, told reporters that the operation lasted more than six hours: the child's left hand was completely preserved, and only one finger was on the right.
"The injury was quite severe, probably an explosive device with high power," she said. — Next, the child will have a large number of bandages, and maybe reconstructive surgeries. Now he will come to his senses a little, he is with his mother, and our psychological specialists will approach them.
The victim was visited by the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, and the head of Krasnogorsk, Dmitry Volkov. In his Telegram channel, the head of the Moscow region promised to support the boy's family and provide the necessary assistance. Dmitry Volkov added that doctors are now doing everything possible to preserve the functions of the child's damaged hand.
As residents of Krasnogorsk write on social media, near the house where the child was injured, "there is almost no street lighting, the entire sidewalk is dark." People also doubt that security cameras are installed there. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on attempted murder of a minor committed in a generally dangerous manner.
"An inspection of the scene was carried out, fragments of an explosive device weighing about 10 g in TNT equivalent were seized," the Investigative Committee said.
The UK drew the attention of citizens, especially minors, to the need to comply with security measures.
"You should not pick up unknown objects, no matter how attractive they may seem, in order to avoid tragic consequences and threats to life and health," they warned.
The Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Moscow Region, Ksenia Mishonova, called for conclusions to be drawn from the situation.
"I would like to ask all parents to be attentive themselves and warn their children. Absolutely nothing should be lifted from the ground. Nothing ever!" the ombudsman wrote on the Telegram channel.
A banknote in one of the districts of Moscow
Similar packages were found in three districts of Moscow, but law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene did not find any explosives.
How to behave in a similar situation
Technically, improvised devices that disguise themselves as household items require very little explosives. 10-15 grams of TNT is enough to tear off a hand or fingers, criminologist Mikhail Ignatov told Izvestia.
— In my opinion, this is a targeted terrorist act. The purpose of such actions is to create a social imbalance, intimidate people, and provoke mass paranoia: to make people afraid to go out, take their children to kindergarten and school, and use public transport," he believes. — Improvised explosive devices can be disguised as anything: phones, bills, bundles of money.
Citizens should avoid the suspicious object, not take anything in their hands, move to a safe distance and immediately call the police — the bomb disposal units will professionally check the find, the expert said.
Panic and tantrums are the worst in such situations, because, yielding to emotions, a person is not able to react quickly and intelligently, Tatyana Opanovskaya, a clinical psychologist and specialist in the Alter psychological platform, told Izvestia.
"We live in difficult times, and intruders are resourceful,— she said. — But if you keep your composure and caution, you minimize possible problems. Children, of course, need to be warned about such threats, but carefully — without intimidation.
The psychologist advises discussing behavior with the child when he interacts with strangers or unattended objects that suddenly appear in his field of vision.
— I live in Krasnogorsk myself, and the first emotion I had when I learned this news was incredible anger towards those who could do such a thing. These are times when you can't be so careless. Children need to be told that if they see an unfamiliar object, they should not touch it," she said.
Psychologist Andrey Zberovsky noted that children have flexible minds and are able to overcome stress relatively quickly if they feel the support of their loved ones.
— After such events, it is important to give the child maximum warmth: hug, praise, be close, talk. In no case should you be ashamed or scolded. It must be explained that he was the victim of a tragic accident, from which no one is immune, even adults," the specialist explained.
The incident is similar to the "horror stories" from the 90s, when people were scared by exploding pens, needles in chewing gum and other things, psychologist Evgeny Fomin recalled. Panic is the worst reaction in such situations. It is necessary to remain calm and explain to children what is happening, without intimidation, the expert believes.
"After the news about the explosion, I talked to my sons: now they know that you can't pick up money or things on the street, no matter how harmless they may seem," the expert noted.
For the injured boy, what happened will be a serious injury, but with the right support from his family, he will be able to adapt, the specialist concluded.
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