The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday's attack near Moscow, and there are reports that Tajiks may have been the perpetrators of the terrorist attack. But how do they come into the picture?
According to Sándor Seremet, a researcher at the Eurássia Center and a senior researcher at the Hungarian Foreign Affairs Institute, there is a reason why Moscow was the target, and the Islamic State can appear in several roles.
Just as if they were Chechens or Afghans, because the nationality and nationality of the perpetrators are not relevant in themselves, radical elements are defined or united by ideology, not citizenship. According to the news so far, one of the perpetrators was already registered in Russia, where immigration from Tajikistan for the purpose of work is very strong. Many people work in Russia by sending their salary home. But it is certain that of the five Central Asian countries
Islamic radicalism is most present in some regions of Tajikistan (mostly on the Afghan border).
According to available news, the suspects also listened to radical Islamic teachings. The Republic of Khorasan of the Islamic State is the one most accused of carrying out the terrorist attacks, and it is located in the northern part of Afghanistan, and its activities also extend to the regions near the Tajik border.
At the same time, several people warned that the attack was not carried out using methods typical of the Islamic State.
It must be taken into account that the Islamic State has been inactive for some time, and we cannot know what strategy they have followed now, if they are behind it. It could also be that they just helped hire the perpetrators and were able to show that they were still agents.
In light of the events, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russians on Saturday afternoon, in which he called what happened a "barbaric crime". "I am writing to you in connection with the bloody, barbaric act of terrorism, of which dozens of peaceful, innocent people were the victims. Our compatriots, including children, teenagers and women," Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian president declared March 24 a national day of mourning. Putin promised help to the victims and expressed his deepest condolences to the relatives, then stated that law enforcement agencies have so far detained 11 people in connection with the terrorist attack. After the crime, they headed for Ukraine, where a "window" was prepared for them to cross the state border. Whoever they were, whoever controlled them. I repeat, we will identify and punish everyone who is behind the terrorists who prepared this atrocity.
This is a blow to Russia, to our people, he said. As he said, the criminals went there in cold blood to kill and shoot Russians at close range, as the Nazis once did. All the perpetrators, organizers and customers of the terrorist attack will receive a just punishment, the head of state emphasized. "Terrorists, murderers, lowly people who have no nationality and cannot have an enviable fate await retribution and oblivion. They have no future," he said.
The Russian president then stated that additional anti-terrorist and anti-assault measures had been taken in all regions of the country, including Moscow and the Moscow region. "The most important thing now is to prevent those behind the bloody massacre from committing another crime," Putin said. No one and nothing can shake our unity and our will. Our determination and courage, the strength of the united Russian people - was the opinion of the Russian head of state, who at the end expressed his thanks to the paramedics, firefighters and everyone who contributed to saving people's lives.
Why was Moscow the target? Why was Russia's capital "attractive" to assassins?
Recently, the Republic of Khorasan has made many statements in which the Russians were accused of previous actions against Muslims in Afghanistan, Chechnya or Syria.
So the extremists would have reason to be angry with the Russians.
On the other hand, geography may also have played a role in the fact that an attack was carried out in the Russian capital, due to the fact that it is easier to involve people already in the country than to introduce new criminals there. But I emphasize: although the perpetrators are there, we do not yet know who gave the order for the attack. This is the most important question.
Would it be "good" for the Russians to justify their war against the Ukrainians if it turned out that Ukraine was behind it?
I'm not at all sure about that. If I want to use this attack to support mobilization or escalation, the timing is really bad. Mobilization, training and deployment take time, several weeks, but rather several months. If Ukrainian involvement were revealed, society would expect urgent steps from Putin, which he is not prepared for. The current strategy should be rewritten, radical steps should be taken at the front, large-scale offensives have already been shown to lead to mistakes. This would create an uncomfortable situation for the Russians.
Rather, the case could be used to force a peace negotiation according to the conditions set by the Kremlin by strengthening the anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western rhetoric.
because if the Ukrainian background were to be proven, it would be embarrassing for the West.
Terror is considered taboo.
At the same time, the Ukrainians immediately denied that they were involved in the terrorist attack, and the White House made it clear that it does not support any such act. At the same time, it has also been suggested that the terrorist attack was a Russian provocation.
Mandarin/Index
Featured image: A man places a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial site near the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk on March 23, 2024. The day before, a terrorist attack was carried out in the cultural center, which, according to the Russian Investigative Committee (SZK), left at least 115 dead and more than a hundred wounded victims. MTI/EPA/Maxim Sipenkov
