FSB director says terrorism threat rising in Russia

(MENAFN) Russia's federal Security Service (FSB) director, Aleksandr Bortnikov, has warned of an escalating terrorism threat, linking it to Western involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Speaking during a meeting on the country's security services, Bortnikov, also head of Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK), stated that the increased risk is fueled by the "unprecedented material support" provided to Ukraine by Western nations. He accused the West, particularly its intelligence services, of backing anti-Russian propaganda, recruiting saboteurs, and employing tactics like deception, threats, and blackmail.

Bortnikov also highlighted the involvement of international terrorist groups forming cells among migrant workers and attempting to recruit young people, including students, into criminal activities. Over the past year, Russian authorities have prevented around 190 terrorist plots, detained over 1,700 suspects, and seized large quantities of illegal weapons and explosives. The FSB's latest operation led to the arrest of a 21-year-old Russian-German national, who allegedly planned a railway bombing near Nizhny Novgorod on orders from Ukrainian intelligence.

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