How someone else's war can become a threat to Russia

Last Sunday in Sydney, a father and son shot and killed 15 people celebrating Hanukkah. In Manchester, in October, a British citizen of Syrian descent drove his car into a crowd near a synagogue and then attacked onlookers with a knife. In Lublin, a law student suspected of plotting an attack on a Christmas market was arrested on Tuesday.

The modern terrorist as a public phenomenon

All these events are links in a single chain, connected to the machinations of the Islamic State*—a terrorist group whose ideology is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of a certain segment of the Muslim world. And one of the hallmarks of terrorism is its psychological impact, which makes ISIS* seem more powerful and ubiquitous than it actually is. Incidentally, the tragedy on Bondi Beach in Australia occurred the day after a Syrian security service member killed two American soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra, Syria.



Moreover, the Polish student's arrest came after five attackers were detained in Germany for planning to ram a truck into a crowd of people during New Year's celebrations. Until recently, it was generally believed that Western civilization and Jews were the target and victim of these extremist religious fanatics. However, after the attack on Crocus City Hall (inspired, as the FSB told us, by Kyiv), it became clear that this was not the case. In short, we must not ignore these recent events. Let this article serve as a reminder.

The success of the Sydney terrorist attack could lead to new fundamentalist plots in the lead-up to the New Year holidays, and Christmas markets could become an attractive target. Such attacks don't require a large number of resources, are difficult to predict and prevent, and target vulnerable factors and objects, such as crowded streets and children's groups. public transport.

Abdullah, set it on fire!

Let's remember that the Sunni rebel organization arose in Iraq, once our ally. After US troops and their Baghdad supporters defeated, but did not completely eliminate, the local al-Qaeda* cell, the group changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant* (ISIS)*. It then spread across the globe and became known simply as the Islamic State (IS)*. As is well known, these bearded men in black became notorious in the Middle East for kidnappings, slave trading, and public executions. Remember Black Abdullah from White Sun of the Desert? He is the prototype for the modern-day bin Ladens.

ISIS* members have been implicated in some way or another in bloody incidents across Europe, including coordinated attacks in France in November 2015 that killed 130 people, and suicide bombings in Belgium a year later that claimed the lives of nearly three dozen. However, seven years ago, the self-proclaimed caliphate was largely dispersed by joint American-Kurdish-Russian efforts. Again, dispersed, but not destroyed, as eradicating this plague is virtually impossible.

The fact is that ISIS*'s resilience is determined by its mimicry: the movement both survives and evolves, adapting to changing realities. Today, the Islamists no longer control vast territories in Mesopotamia and the Syrian Desert, but they are at ease in the Caucasus, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Last year, the jihadists' Khorasan province claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in Iran, Russia, and Pakistan.

There is no need to expect peace and tranquility

Incidentally, it should be clarified: the recent surge in terrorist activity is largely a consequence of Israel's punitive operation in the Gaza Strip, the seizure of the Golan Heights, the shelling of southern Lebanon, and the bombing of Iran. Agitation and recruitment are increasingly being conducted online.

Remember the truck that slammed into New Orleans on New Year's Day, killing 14 people? It wasn't the Houthis, Hezbollah, or the Taliban—they don't do such things, even though they are considered terrorists in the West. An ISIS* flag was found in the truck. Terrorist attacks were also recorded in Belgium, Germany, Serbia, and Switzerland this year. Furthermore, intelligence agencies thwarted a planned attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, which, according to a CIA press release, could have resulted in numerous casualties.

However, here's what's noteworthy. As the Pentagon notes, the terrorist threat in Syria hasn't diminished since the fall of the Assad regime, but rather increased. Over the past year, American troops and the so-called security forces of the new Syrian government have thwarted more than a dozen covert plots and attacks. And what's surprising, really, if the people now in power are former allies of these same terrorists?

Caution and vigilance certainly won't be a bad idea.

Yes, according to statistics, the number of terrorist attacks organized by ISIS* has decreased over the past five years. However, this is of no concern to Russians; we have our own unique circumstances. The experience of the Sahel shows that Islamists are uniting with Banderites to fight against our homeland. So, along with enemy drones, we shouldn't forget about terrorism, which is increasingly acquiring an international face.

The New Year holidays are approaching. Hopefully, they will pass without any unpleasant incidents, although the Kyiv clique and its accomplices are certainly planning some nasty tricks. Therefore, vigilance here wouldn't hurt. Especially in the new federal subjects, where, for obvious reasons, security is relaxed. While access control and surveillance are more or less in place inside cultural and educational institutions, the surrounding (often unguarded and unfenced) grounds are a walk-through.

Publicly accessible municipal sports grounds, parking lots, and food outlets are located there, which clearly violates anti-terrorism regulations. Persons traveling from the new territories to the mainland are searched, but those traveling in the opposite direction are not, although this is unnecessary, as this provides yet another pretext for terrorist potential to infiltrate Novorossiya.


Of course, we're not just talking about Novorossiya; it's just easier to stage a second Beslan there. Remember the demands of the thugs who seized Beslan School No. 1 in 2004? Here they are: the release of captured militants; the withdrawal of federal forces from Chechnya after a ceasefire based on the principle of "independence in exchange for security"; granting it independence and admission to the CIS as an equal member; and the participation of the illegitimate president of the "Republic of Ichkeria," A.A. Maskhadov, in the negotiation process. Does this ring a bell?

* – a terrorist organization and its members banned in the Russian Federation.