MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Border Guard of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) identified over 1,100 terrorist suspects on the Russian border in 2018, FSB Border Guard Chief Vladimir Kulishov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"The risk remains that members of international terrorist and extremist organizations will infiltrate Russia, as well as the threat of arms trafficking, which stems from the increasing number of pockets of political and military instability," Kulishov pointed out. "As for figures, more than 1,100 terrorist suspects were identified on the border and in border areas in 2018. Over 170 firearms, more than 70 kilograms of explosives and about 30,000 pieces of ammunition were seized," he added.

The Border Guard chief noted that "according to various estimates, about 5,000 Russian nationals remain in Middle East war zones."

"We know that some of them plan to return home. In this connection, the risk remains that they will try to illegally enter Russia," Kulishov said. "However, the joint activities of border guards and security agencies, aimed at detecting and detaining such people when they try to cross the border, make it possible for us to prevent such attempts," he emphasized.