Bandit underground has intensified in North Caucasus

On the last day of March, at the Security Council meeting in Novo-Ogaryovo, migration policy in the context of national security was discussed. Commenting on the situation surrounding the refugees in Europe, President Vladimir Putin stated that the migrants, who actually have no opportunity to integrate into society, are becoming objects of propaganda, recruitment by extremists and terrorist organizations, radical sentiments are growing in this environment, but radical sentiments also grow among local citizens, in this regard. After saying that criminal gangs, drug traffickers, foreign intelligence services, as well as the emissaries of international extremists and terrorist organizations are trying to take advantage of illegal migration channels in Russia, Putin has demanded to strengthen the protection of areas of the state border in the directions with increased danger of intrusion of illegal migrants. The President also urged to increase cooperation with the competent authorities of foreign states and international organizations, use existing experience and contacts, as well as new forms of cooperation in the fight against illegal migration.

Meanwhile, the director of the Institute of Political Studies, Sergey Markov, stated to Vestnik Kavkaza "I think that now Russia opposes terrorism more effectively than Europe does. We monitor the situation, above all, with strong intelligence services. There are no strong intelligence services in Europe. The Europeans handed their security issues to the Americans. The Americans are concerned about their safety more than about the Europeans."

Markov was skeptical regarding cooperation of European intelligence services in prevention of the terrorist attacks in the EU: "The terrorist attacks in France and Brussels were associated mostly with people who live in Europe, moving between the European countries, Turkey, Syria, Iraq. They do not come to Russia, and our intelligence services cannot help Europe much with this issue, I think. So I think that this cooperation will not happen. In addition, there is no political solution for the restoration of relations with Russia. Europe has committed monstrous crimes in Ukraine, flooding it with blood, supporting the Kiev junta, its terrorist policy. Europe does not want to recognize their responsibility for the monstrous terrorist junta in Kiev."

Nevertheless, the activity of militants of radical terrorist organizations also extends to Russia. Daesh claimed responsibility for recent explosions in Dagestan. This week, two policemen were killed and three were injured in terrorist attacks. In addition, 18 alleged recruiters of future militants were detained in Moscow.

"Why has the situation with the bandit underground intensified right now? Again, you need to understand the nature of these controlled organized terrorist groups. A lot of money is allocated to carry out the terrorist attacks. All this happens at a single command from unified centers. And notice how, against the background of liberated Palmyra, any Western response is completely absent,  thugs and a fifth column are activating in Russia. Of course, we can talk about a casual connection, but it happens almost constantly," a member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Alexei Kondratyev, says.

According to him, terrorist attacks using explosives is one of the easiest forms of terrorist act in terms of technical execution. "If 10-15 years ago on the territory of the Chechen Republic the main forms of activities of the bandit groups were carrying out ambushes and attacks, including the use of mine-explosive means, then with the physical elimination of the terrorists the war moved from Chechnya to Dagestan and Ingushetia. And the people who were responsible for the secrecy of these actions of the bandit groups seriously took into account their mistakes. If earlier the gangs were based on the territory of the forested areas, in the mountains, above all, in inaccessible terrains, then on the territory of Dagestan and Ingushetia the bandits began to act already under the guise of seasonal workers, immigrants on the territory of settlements in compliance with the rules of conspiracy. From that moment the gangs moved from the form of direct armed struggle to actions of a purely terrorist nature. Because it is quite simple to drive at two policemen on duty and shoot them with a machine gun. Or to place a land mine not far from them, literally, it takes 20 seconds to place a mine. Then to shoot the action on camera from a distant location and send a report. The main goal is to create panic and distrust in our own authorities, to persuade people that they do not control the situation. This is a political aim of terrorism," he believes.

According to him, the situation in the North Caucasus has changed radically over the past 10-15 years: "The influence of the authorities on the situation is such that we have almost forgotten the mass protests of the population, the instances of defiance. The efforts of the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, has led to the fact that alpine resorts are being built on the territory of the Chechen Republic, the recreation zone Kezenoi is being rebuilt, huge work on mine clearance is being carried out in order to make active use of the area for the saturation of it with tourists. When you come to Grozny you will see how many people are sitting in restaurants in the evening. As a rule, these people are newcomers. People come to relax in Chechnya, including Dagestan, Stavropol, Ingushetia and so on. Come to the territory of Ingushetia, see how life has changed, the city of Magas has bloomed. The sense of security is to create such conditions, in which the residents of the state feel safe. Our task today is to create such conditions, including in the direction of social work, the creation of a new labor force in order to distract people, to distract, above all, young people from all kinds of propaganda ‘preachers’ who are in the background of the distortion of Islamic values ​​and the general religious values ​​create a 'culture of aggression'."