The head of the CIS antiterrorist center, Andrei Novikov, said that recruiters of terrorist groups urge sick members of organizations to distribute coronavirus in public places. According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated recruitment due to lower living standards in countries from the “bottom lines of economic ratings”. However, due to the closure of borders, the movement of weapons and drugs was limited.
“While states are fighting for medical and epidemiological safety … recruiters of international terrorist groups not only use the already difficult situation, attracting new“ jihad soldiers ”, but also spread calls for the maximum spread of COVID infection by sick members of the organization in public places, government institutions etc., ”said Mr. Novikov in an interview TASS. In his opinion, the statements themselves create “an independent cluster of information and psychological threats to the population.”
Mr. Novikov said that all the special services of the CIS countries during the pandemic noted the confusion of terrorist organizations “in matters of their traditional material support.” Due to the closure of the borders, “the supply chain of drug corridors, the retail distribution of drugs, the international arms and explosives trade” were disrupted. According to him, intelligence agencies also observe a shift in the focus of terrorists. “They went online. Media centers have been activated that combine the spread of the ideology of terrorism and extremism, the involvement of new members, ”said Mr. Novikov.
Recall that in the last decade, global indicators of peace have been steadily declining. Last year (estimated period from March 2019 to March 2020) was no exception. Among the reasons are the rise of terrorism, the intensification of conflicts in the Middle East, the growth of regional tensions in Eastern Europe and Northeast Asia, the increase in the number of refugees, and political tensions in Europe and the USA.
For more information on the index of peacefulness, see Kommersant’s article “There Is No Peace for the World, Especially in a Pandemic”.
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