RT reported that on February 11, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Mr. Aleksandr Bortnikov, warned about the damage that Russia must bear in the context of increasing terrorism.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) and heads of federal ministries, Mr. Bortnikov outlined possible terrorist methods and proposed measures to deal with them.
According to Mr. Bortnikov, the main target of terrorist attacks is to attack energy infrastructure, transport, defense industry and crowded places.
Since the beginning of the year, Russian law enforcement has prevented 23 terrorist attacks, arresting more than 224 suspects and accomplices, including 97 armed elements and more than 100 supporters. Most of these plots were orchestrated by foreign terrorist organizations, including Ukrainian ones, Mr. Bortnikov said.
Russia suffered one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in recent history in March last year, when four gunmen killed 145 people and injured more than 500 at the Crocus City Hall concert hall outside Moscow. The terrorist group Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) later claimed responsibility.
Mr. Bortnikov continued to warn that Ukraine would also try to carry out attacks deep inside Russian territory using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and weapons supplied by the West, aiming to “cause maximum economic damage and threaten civilians.”
In this situation, the Russian government will strengthen coordination between federal ministries to deal with terrorist threats and implement measures to protect critical infrastructure from UAV attacks, Mr. Bortnikov said.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out drone and artillery attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure. Last week, a Ukrainian drone struck a school bus in the Zaporizhzhia region, injuring five children and the driver.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized international monitoring organizations for ignoring the attack, and said this was not the first time Ukraine had targeted children.
In December last year, a man born in 1995 from Uzbekistan assassinated Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow by planting a bomb in their car. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later claimed responsibility, declaring that Mr. Kirillov was a “completely legitimate target.”
