On the first day of Russia's presidential election, at least four polling stations were set on fire in separate regions, with additional incidents involving voters spilling green dye into ballot boxes. Seven people have been detained for vandalism, and election officials stated that no ballots were damaged in the arson attacks. Election chief Ella Pamfilova claimed that those arrested in the dye-spilling incidents were promised money and unaware of criminal punishment for their actions.
Since May 2021, 33 churches in Canada have been destroyed by fire, with 24 of the fires being intentionally set. The increase in attacks follows reports of "mass graves" found at former Catholic and Christian residential schools for Indigenous children. Approximately 50% of the fires affected Catholic churches, and arrests have been made in just nine of the church fires. The attacks have drawn attention to the experience of the Canadian Indigenous community, and some Indigenous leaders have spoken out against the vandalism and arson.
Paramilitary gangsters in Rio de Janeiro launched a series of arson attacks, setting fire to over 35 buses, four lorries, and a train. The attacks were reportedly in retaliation for the killing of a senior paramilitary leader by police special forces. The violence brought parts of the city to a standstill, forced school closures, and exposed the failure of successive governments to control organized crime. Rio's governor vowed to strike back against the gangs and declared the arrests of 12 individuals involved in the attacks as "terrorist acts."
A fire broke out at a building used by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in Rostov-on-Don, killing one person and injuring two others. The fire was caused by a short circuit that ignited fuel tanks, according to the regional governor. The FSB is Russia's internal security service responsible for counter-intelligence, border security, and counter-terrorism. The area on fire was a two-storey building used for garages and storage. There have been a spate of arson attacks on government buildings in Russia since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
