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Russia registers rising threats from Ukrainian special services, neo-Nazis — official

According to Andrey Novikov, these organizations "make great efforts" to involve Russian and foreign citizens, primarily from Central Asian countries, in subversive and terrorist activities

KRASNOYARSK, May 29. /TASS/. Russia is registering rising terrorist threats from the special services and neo-Nazi organizations of Ukraine and Western information centers, said Andrey Novikov, a deputy chief of staff at the National Anti-Terrorist Committee.

He made the statement at an all-Russian conference called Countering the Ideology of Terrorism: Efforts to Improve Preventive Activities, which is part of the Antiterror Forum.

"While two years ago the main source of terrorist ideology was international terrorist organizations that relied on their ideologically motivated supporters, since the start of the special military operation, to a large extent terrorist threats began to emanate from Ukrainian special services and neo-Nazi formations, as well as Western information centers," Novikov said.

According to the official, these organizations "make great efforts" to involve Russian and foreign citizens, primarily from Central Asian countries, in subversive and terrorist activities.

"As an object of their aspirations they choose mainly young people who are susceptible to the ideas of nationalism and neo-Nazism, who have low moral qualities, lead marginal lifestyles and are ready to earn money any way they can," he said.

He added that international terrorist organizations do not abandon attempts to create their clandestine cells in Russian regions.

The committee’s official spokesman, Andrey Przhezdomsky, also said that he often met with young people suspected of terrorism in pre-trial detention centers and prisons, and saw that most of them do not have ideological motives. As an example, he said one of such criminals helped set fire to a military recruitment office for 3,000 rubles "because he wanted some beer." Another terrorist "dreamed of going to the US," while having neither a sought-after profession nor speaking any English.

The 18 All-Russia Antiterror Forum opened in Krasnoyarsk on May 29 and will last until May 31. The event is supported by the National Anti-Terrorist Committee and the Federal Youth Agency.