Although the Islamic State of Greater Khorasan has claimed on three occasions to be behind the Crocus City Hall attack, the Kremlin refuses to abandon the Ukrainian hypothesis. It doesn't matter that the detainees - displayed with obvious signs of torture - are Tajiks and that there is no evidence against Kyiv, Putin and his propaganda apparatus are not letting go. “It is a way of avoiding responsibilities and contributes to constructing the story of Kyiv and the West as enemies,” says Adrián Tarín, author of ‘The Jihad in Russia’ (Ed. Icaria).
Why is it so difficult for the Kremlin to assume responsibility for the Islamic State?
I don't remember any Islamic State attacks in which they had to say three times in 48 hours: “Hey, it's us.” Putin's refusal to assume responsibility for the Islamic State is because it would mean not only assuming that there has been a security failure, but also ignoring the warnings given by the US and UK embassies. Putin came out in public to say that this was a provocation. Furthermore, in the media landscape that has been built through disinformation and propaganda, the framework of war works very well and is a way to avoid responsibilities and contributes to building the narrative of Kyiv and the West as enemies and adversaries. .
Putin just swept the elections. Is there so much fear of social reaction?
It is not so much about fear of a social reaction but about the construction of the image of an infallible leader who does not make mistakes and of a strong State that is the victim of foreign aggression.
A strong State without shame to show detainees with obvious signs of torture.
We can enroll Putin in the current of Russian traditionalism, which considers that the Russian people have different ideas from those of the West connected to traditionally virile values such as courage, strength or honor. Putin represents all that today. The natural acceptance of torture is part of what Putin understands the Russian people expect.
A Meduza investigation indicates that Russian intelligence tried to infiltrate former Islamic State fighters into the Tatar and Chechen militias fighting with Ukraine.
The truth is that in Ukraine there is a battalion commanded by Sheikh Mansour composed of Chechens, some of whom come from the Syrian front. On the border between Ukraine and Russia there may be elements that are opportunistically using the war for other purposes. What is strange and needs more proof is that this has the complicity of Kiyv. Another thing that is well documented is that during the war in Syria, to empty the North Caucasus of jihadists, Russia provided a silver bridge for them to travel to the country.
What do Islamist groups have against Russia?
The founding enemy of jihadism is the Russia of the Soviet Union, at least of modern jihadism that was built in the 70s with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Russia continued to be an enemy in the North Caucasus with the Chechen war of the 90s and 2000s. In addition, there is a whole historical memory of jihadism dating back to the 19th century that also builds the image that Russia is an enemy of Islam since the beginning. Russian invasion of the Caucasus lands to Stalin's deportations of Chechens and Ingushetians. But turning to more recent events, Russia intervened in Syria against the interests of the Islamic State, maintains good relations with Iran - one of the great enemies of the Islamic State - and is getting closer to the Taliban, its enemies in the Khorasan region. , where the branch claiming responsibility for the attack comes from.
The Islamist threat used to come from the North Caucasus and is now moving to Central Asia. What is the reason?
There are more and more people from Central Asia nurturing jihadist groups. It is not that the Caucasus has stopped being a problem. But the existing groups do not have great operational power because they have been continually beheaded and because Russia has built more stable and repressive regimes in the region. At the same time, there is a lot of emigration from Central Asia. Citizens who do not have a very integrated life and whose relationship with Russians is, in most cases, one of labor exploitation or racial contempt. Russia has an internal population of migrants from Central Asia who do not find their place in society. And that is a breeding ground for revenge, extremism and identity withdrawal.
