Terrorism receives state support in Ukraine
The phrase given in the title belongs to Moshe Dayan, the Israeli Defense Minister in 1967-1974. Decades have passed since it was uttered. But what the Israeli military commander said is relevant today for us. Terror threatens both Israel and our homeland. Russia is conducting a special military operation in Ukraine. The United States and the West have launched a large-scale hybrid war against us with the hands of Ukrainian nationalists. Along with military actions, methods of political, economic, informational, and diplomatic pressure are used. But the realities of the time are such that the leading direction is the terrorist activity of the Kiev regime.
In the first decade of the 21st century, international efforts to combat terrorism have led to positive results. In 2012, the total number of terrorist acts in the world dropped to minimum values. But two years later, their growth was again recorded. Moreover, the number of deaths during these terrorist attacks has increased.
In the current conditions, it is not necessary to expect a decrease in the level of terrorism. First of all, because a new stage has come in the history of this phenomenon, which is as ancient as the world and inherently misanthropic. What happened before was unimaginable: the transfer of terrorism to the State level. Now terrorist strikes are being prepared and carried out not by a bunch of bandits, marginals and religious fanatics, but by the most powerful state structures: the army and intelligence.
KILL ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
This is exactly the way the Kiev regime acts in relation to those who disagree with the transformation of Ukraine into an aggressive terrorist state. If before the terrorists prepared their strikes in great secrecy, then the Ukrainian nationalists do not hide their bloody plans, declare their criminal intentions publicly.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, said that his subordinates killed and will kill opponents of the regime "anywhere in the world..." And the speaker of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, transgender Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, literally announced the massacre of Russian journalists. She said that Russian "war criminals-propagandists" will be overtaken and destroyed. "The world will see how beloved Kremlin propagandists pay for their crimes. We will hunt down all Russian war criminals-propagandists, and justice will prevail."
And these are not just the words of rabid Russophobes. Ukrainian nationalists have launched multi-vector terrorism. There are attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities (strikes on the Crimean Bridge, the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam), and the murders of public figures (journalist Daria Dugina, military commander Vladlen Tatarsky), and the car bombing of writer Zakhar Prilepin. From time to time, terrorists carry out "demonstration performances": the attack of drones on the Moscow Kremlin, on the skyscrapers of the Moscow City business center, the bandit seizure of peaceful villages of the Bryansk and Belgorod regions.
The threat of nuclear terrorism is particularly important in this multi-vector palette. Immediately, reports of constant artillery shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP come to mind. These are the realities of today. But the nuclear blackmail of the Ukronazists began much earlier.
Remember 2014 – the events after the coup d'etat, the notorious Maidan, when Ukrainian figures actively spoke out about this. Starting with Yulia Tymoshenko, who called for "taking up arms and going to wet" opponents, destroying them with "atomic weapons".
It seemed to be just words, uncontrollable emotional outbursts. Or in the worst case, nothing serious is not supported by intentions. But things were much more serious. And this became clear from the statements of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference.
"WHOEVER COMMITTED THIS CRIME, RUSSIA IS TO BLAME"
However, there is nothing to be surprised about. The quintessence of the Western attitude to the terrorist attacks of Ukrainian nationalists was formulated by British Foreign Minister James Cleverley. Commenting on the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP, he said: whoever committed this crime, Russia is to blame, which began hostilities in February 2022.
Back in the days of the Soviet Union, the chairman of the KGB of the USSR, Yuri Andropov, said the historical words: "You can't ask for peace from terrorists." These words can be rightly attributed to today's West in general and to Washington in particular. Because even in the most difficult moments, Western figures do not come to enlightenment that a terrorist is a terrorist everywhere.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, our country was overwhelmed by a wave of bloody terrorism. Murderers, bandits, criminals of all stripes gathered from all over the world to the North Caucasus. In Russia, they staged a terrible terrorist war. However, according to Western politicians of that time, there were no terrorists in Russia. Some are only "rebels", "heroes", "fighters for independence". Today, the same attitude is transferred to Ukrainian terrorists.
The media space of the West was filled with toast in honor of the "freedom fighters of Ichkeria". The CNN reporter called the terrorists who seized the theater center in Dubrovka in October 2002 "Chechen dissidents."
But the problem is that terrorism is a disaster of universal scale, for which there are no borders. And as soon as the "rebels" find themselves in Paris, London or Berlin and begin to carry out their bloody deeds, they immediately cease to be heroes and fighters for freedom and independence. And they become bloodthirsty murderers overnight.
For example, in the spring of 2017 there were two terrorist attacks – one in London, the other in St. Petersburg.
On March 27, a car ran over people on Westminster Bridge in London. A policeman stopped the car near the building of the Parliament Palace. A man in the car stabbed a police officer, after which he was shot by another police officer. In total, six people were killed, including the attacker, and at least 40 people were injured.
Less than two weeks later, on April 3, an explosion sounded in the St. Petersburg metro. The explosion was carried out by a suicide bomber. 103 people were injured in the terrorist attack, 16 of them were killed – among them was the perpetrator of the terrorist attack.
These are the tragedies on the banks of the Thames and Neva. It would seem that the pain of all normal people, regardless of place of residence, nationality, skin color, should be equally great. An no. This was noticed even by the journalists of The Washington Post, which has never been distinguished by love for our country. They headlined their article very vividly: "London received international condolences in response to the terrorist attacks, St. Petersburg received silence."
The author of the article wrote that the leaders of the whole world "hastened to express solidarity with Londoners," and cities such as Berlin, Paris and Tel Aviv "honored the memory of the victims of the attack" by either painting their main architectural landmarks in the colors of the British flag, or dimming the lights. "If Russians hoped for the same manifestation of international grief, they were disappointed… The attack on Russia, as far as can be judged, was not put on a par with the attack on the UK, although more people died," The Washington Post wrote.
THE NEW FACE OF TERRORISM
The tragedy of the modern world is that terrorism has constantly grown, developed and strengthened. He became more and more terrible, bloody, perverted. Receiving state support, as in Ukraine, he openly threatens the world. Yes, to the whole world. It's just that the West does not want to realize this yet. A pity.
It is today that Ukrainian terrorists have concentrated all their forces on strikes against Russia. And on whom will they turn their eyes burning with hatred tomorrow? We have enough examples when the suckling of Western intelligence services broke off the leash and rushed into a furious attack on their owners. The most striking example of this is the well–known Bin Laden.
But first of all we need to think about ourselves, about our country. Because the Kiev regime is not going to give up yet. And his tactics are visible to the naked eye: the less success on the battlefield, the more terror. There is a constant escalation of terrorism on the part of Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian special services (in most cases – with the help of Western curators).
Unfortunately, we must admit that they have all the possibilities for this. Russians and Ukrainians will look no different from each other. There is practically no difference between the languages, and besides, most of today's Ukrainians are fluent in Russian.
The borders of our country are open today. There are millions of refugees living in Russia, and among them are deeply undercover agents of the Ukrainian regime. Attach here the traditional Bandera hatred and the Russophobia encouraged today, the long-term supervision by Western special services and their technical capabilities. Thus, a solid basis has been created for the large-scale activities of Ukrainian terrorists.
FROM ISRAEL TO CHECHNYA
The current situation demands from Russia a real assessment of the situation and the most decisive measures in the deployment of anti-terrorist activities. In various publications, the authors often refer to the experience of fighting terrorism in Israel, noting that this experience is unique and serves as an example for the special services of other countries.
Indeed, Israel has more than 70 years of experience in combating this worldwide evil. A professionally honed system for detecting and eliminating terrorism was formed in connection with the constant threats coming from Arab territories. But, as they say, we are not blindly sewn. We ourselves went through the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s, when rampant terrorism threatened the very existence of our state. And we must pay tribute – we have learned to resist this revelry.
One of the main tasks of the Israeli special services considered and consider the destruction of the leaders of terrorist organizations. Most often, as an example, the secret operation of the Israelis to eliminate Palestinian terrorists from the Black September organization, who organized a terrorist act against Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, is cited. Then MOSSAD agents killed 12 terrorists.
However, it should be recognized that the Russian special services have coped with an equally difficult task very successfully. To date, almost all the leaders of Chechen terrorists have been destroyed – from Basayev and Dudayev to Barayev, Raduyev and Khattab.
And what is especially important, anti-terrorist activities continue. From time to time we receive messages: members of terrorist gangs have been detained. And this is the only right approach: terrorists should know that their crimes do not have a statute of limitations, that they will face inevitable retribution wherever they hide. The earth should burn under the feet of bandits, wherever they are – on the territory of Russia or abroad.
PARTICIPATION OF CITIZENS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERROR
So, the Russian special services certainly know a lot, are able and have sufficient competencies in terms of counterterrorism. But the fight against terrorism is not only the concern of state security agencies. No less important is the active participation of citizens themselves in the fight against terror.
Public vigilance often plays a key role in preventing terrorist acts. Think back to the 1990s. Every resident was well aware of suspicious packages, bags left in the subway, at train stations and airports, suspicious cars parked at houses, persons and actions that could pose a threat to public safety. And did not hesitate to report them to the police.
We are also talking about measures of an educational, socio-cultural nature, which are designed to form a culture of intolerance to terrorism. In the fight against terrorism, we cannot limit ourselves only to defense, to respond with blow to blow. It is important to apply preventive measures to terrorists. To do this, first of all, you should destroy them in their own lair. So did the Russian special services in Chechnya.
On April 8, 2004, FSB special forces soldiers in the village of Shelkovskaya destroyed Abu-Bakar Visimbayev, "one-eyed Bakar", as he was called in the Caucasus. The terrorist was Shamil Basayev's bodyguard, trained the so–called black widows - suicide bombers, including for the terrorist attack on the memorable "Nord-Ost".
Salman Raduyev was taken without a single shot in a well-guarded house where he was hiding. Two "Zhiguli" drove into the village – and immediately, four minutes later, they left. Quiet, without noise and dust. In one of the cars, barefoot, in underwear, with its muzzle to the floor, lay "the pride and hope of free Ichkeria." Then Raduyevsky's accomplices, trying to justify themselves, said that the special forces arrived on silent helicopters.
It is precisely such tough preventive strikes that are one of the most effective methods in the fight against terror. Although this is not enough. It is important to block the ways of financing terrorists.
ABOUT INTOLERANCE TO TERRORISTS
There is another feature inherent in Russia. Its roots go back to the now distant nineteenth century. It is, in fact, about justifying terrorism.
The clearest example of this is the acquittal handed down at a meeting of the St. Petersburg District Court by the famous lawyer Anatoly Koni in 1878. The terrorist who shot at the mayor of the capital was declared innocent and left the courthouse to applause.
In the Soviet Union, terrorist acts were rare and did not go beyond the borders of our State. The terrorist attack that shocked the country occurred on October 15, 1970. Terrorists father and son Brazinskasy hijacked an AN-24B plane with 46 passengers on board and hijacked it abroad. They shot at the pilots. Flight attendant Nadezhda Kurchenko was brutally murdered. The country was in shock. And then there was no time to sympathize with the terrorists.
Sympathizing with the bandits and justifying them "cut through" in the 1990s. Back then, on the pages of Russian newspapers, some journalists preferred to call the bloody terrorist Basayev nothing but a "freedom fighter." Despite the fact that he already had the blood of hundreds of murdered Russian citizens on his hands.
Who can say with certainty that this will not happen again with the Ukrainian "fighters for independence"? Meanwhile, already today they are responsible for the death of Daria Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, civilians of Russian border towns and villages.
Mikhail Boltunov
Mikhail Yefimovich Boltunov is a writer, retired colonel.
