In Crimea, there is still a possibility of threats to national security as a result of the activities of the United States, a number of EU countries and Ukraine, said the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev.
"On the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, there are still prerequisites for the emergence of threats to national security, due to the possible complication of the interethnic, inter-confessional situation and the likelihood of terrorist attacks," he said on Wednesday in Sevastopol at a meeting on ensuring national security in the Crimea.
According to Patrushev, among the main reasons for these threats are " the destructive activities of the United States, the NATO bloc controlled by them, a number of EU states, and Ukraine, aimed at discrediting the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation, damaging its authority and international image, and spreading extremist and nationalist ideology."
Ukraine's special services are trying to commit sabotage and terrorist acts in Crimea, primarily on infrastructure and life support facilities, Patrushev said. "Ukrainian special services and extremist organizations are constantly organizing provocations on the state border, attempts are being made to carry out sabotage and terrorist actions on the territory of Crimea, primarily on infrastructure and life support facilities," the Secretary of the Security Council said.
Training of saboteurs and the return of militants
Patrushev said that the training centers for saboteurs were deployed in Ukraine with the support of the West. "With the submission of Western sponsors, training centers for sabotage and intelligence units have been deployed on the territory of Ukraine. It is possible that graduates of these centers will be targeted for preparing terrorist attacks, and not only in Russia, but also on the territory of other states," he said.
The risk of terrorist attacks in Crimea is caused, among other things, by the return to the peninsula from abroad of militants who fought in the ranks of international terrorists, Patrushev warned. "The situation is also complicated by the return to Crimea of persons who took part in armed conflicts on the side of international terrorist organizations abroad," he said.
Plans to destabilize the situation
Ukraine and its Western backers are hatching plans to destabilize the situation in Crimea, Patrushev said. "Over the past seven years, a lot of work has been done on the peninsula to solve the problems that have accumulated over the years of Ukrainian independence," he said.
Patrushev recalled that significant funds have been invested in the modernization and development of the transport, energy and social infrastructure of the peninsula, new jobs have been created, housing issues are being systematically resolved, monuments and cultural heritage sites are being restored. In addition, measures are being taken to harmonize interethnic relations, ensure the rights of all citizens, regardless of nationality and religious affiliation, and Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar, along with Russian, have been given the status of the state language in Crimea.
"However, in contrast to this work, various sanctions are being imposed by Ukraine and its Western patrons, attempts are being made to destroy economic ties, deliberately worsen living conditions on the peninsula, including through the implementation of food, energy and water blockades," Patrushev said.
"Political adventurers are hatching plans to destabilize the socio-political and socio-economic situation in Crimea, "he added, noting that"constant calls for protest actions are being spread on the Internet, revanchist and nationalist ideas are being promoted."
One of the sources of the spread of radical ideas remains the organization "Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People", banned in the Russian Federation, Patrushev said. The functionaries of this organization, after its ban in Russia, focused on carrying out information and psychological actions from abroad, which are primarily aimed at young people, the Secretary of the Security Council noted.
Western countries, led by the United States and Ukraine, use the topic of interethnic and interreligious relations to divide the population of Crimea and discredit the authorities on the peninsula, Patrushev said. According to him, from Western countries, a number of EU states and Ukraine, "traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, history, culture, and state symbols are increasingly being attacked and negatively affected." "Sensitive issues of interethnic and interreligious relations become the subject of socio-political manipulations and are used to incite conflicts," Patrushev stressed.
According to him, these actions are not accidental. "Their goal is to divide the people, undermine public harmony, faith, spirituality and statehood, and discredit the activities of the authorities," the Security Council secretary said. "We see how cynically the results of the [referendum] on the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation are ignored," Patrushev added.
Prevented terrorist attacks
Six terrorist attacks were prevented in Crimea last year, Patrushev said. "Last year, six terrorist attacks and 10 terrorist crimes were prevented in Crimea, 23 crimes related to extremism were identified," he said, speaking at a meeting on ensuring national security in the region in Sevastopol on Wednesday.
Patrushev also informed that on April 9 of this year, another terrorist attack planned by supporters of the international terrorist organization "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" banned in the Russian Federation was prevented in Simferopol.
According to the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, these statistics " indicate a difficult operational situation in the region." "The survey shows that the majority of residents of the peninsula consider the spread of the ideology of terrorism and extremism to be a very real threat," he stressed.
Patrushev also stated that the influx of migrants contributes to the emergence of hotbeds of ethno-religious tension in the region. "The observed radicalization of some Muslims living in Crimea, who fall under the influence of clerics who profess radical Islam, may lead to the emergence of hotbeds of interethnic and inter - confessional tension, "he said, adding that"a significant influx of migrants, primarily to Sevastopol, and the formation of ethnic organized criminal groups" contribute to the strengthening of these threats. "In the last two years alone, the criminal activities of more than 20 such groups have been suppressed," the Security Council secretary said.
Patrushev stated the need for additional measures to guarantee the protection of the national interests of the Russian Federation in Crimea and the inhabitants of the peninsula against the background of growing tensions around this region due to the actions of the United States, NATO and Ukraine. "All these factors require the adoption of additional comprehensive measures that guarantee the protection of Russian national interests and the safety of the inhabitants of the peninsula," he said. According to him, "unfriendly and destructive actions against Russia must be strictly suppressed, and the perpetrators brought to justice, including in accordance with the norms of international law."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS