US providing training to terrorists to carry out attacks in Russia, claims Russian intel

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has announced that the US military is recruiting members of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries, as per a report from TASS. The service stated that 60 experienced militants were selected for this purpose in January of this year. According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the US is providing training to terrorists in Syria's Al-Tanf base, teaching them how to create and use improvised explosive devices and engage in subversive activities.

The focus is on attacking heavily guarded facilities, including foreign diplomatic missions. The SVR claims that the US plans to send these terrorists to Russia and other CIS countries in small groups to carry out terrorist attacks against diplomats, government officials, law enforcement officers, and military personnel. They will reportedly be working with secret cells from international terrorist organizations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jamaat Ansarullah, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (which is banned in Russia).

US has no morals, alludes Russian intelligence

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service stated that US is focussing on the involvement of individuals from the North Caucasus and Central Asia regions of Russia. According to Russia, this shows US' complete disregard for moral values. The SVR believes that the American experts, driven by a crazy idea to weaken Russia, believe it is acceptable to use terrorists for their own immoral goals, putting them on the same level as major terror groups. 

A glance at Russia's troubled regions

The North Caucasus and Central Asian regions of Russia have a complex and often turbulent history, marked by ongoing tensions between the central government in Moscow and various ethnic and separatist groups. In the North Caucasus region, which encompasses a number of mostly Muslim republics including Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia, there has been a long history of resistance to Russian rule. This has taken the form of both separatist movements seeking independence and Islamist insurgency groups looking to establish an Islamic state in the region.

In the Central Asian region, which includes countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, there have been similar tensions between the central government and various ethnic groups, as well as Islamist movements. The Soviet government's policies of suppressing local cultures and promoting Russian cultural and political dominance in the region have contributed to ongoing resentment towards Moscow.

Additionally, economic and political marginalization of certain groups, particularly in the Fergana Valley, has led to unrest and in some cases, violent conflict. Terrorist attacks and separatist violence have been a frequent occurrence in both the North Caucasus and Central Asia, with groups such as the Chechen rebels, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Al-Qaeda-linked groups all carrying out attacks in the region. The Russian government has responded with military force and anti-terrorism operations.