Overview: The Russian Federation continued to prioritize counterterrorism efforts in 2018 and remained a target of international terrorist groups, particularly ISIS. Low-level militant terrorist activity remained a problem in Russia’s northern Caucasus region despite increases to counterterrorism activities and political consolidation efforts.

2018 Terrorist Incidents: On August 20, a series of attacks in and around Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, killed one police officer and injured three other officers and a civilian. ISIS claimed credit for the attacks, which stand out in that the perpetrators split up and struck several targets simultaneously in the Grozny region. The outcome of the attacks is in line with typical terrorist activity in the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia. Additional attacks included:

• On February 19, a terrorist opened fire on worshippers with a hunting rifle before being killed by security forces outside a Christian Orthodox Church in Kizlyar City, Dagestan. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack that left five worshippers dead and five wounded, including two security personnel.
• On May 9, ISIS claimed credit for an attack on a Sufi shrine in Dagestan.
• On May 19, four teenage militants claiming ties to ISIS attempted to storm a church in Grozny, killing one churchgoer and two police officers. Church members blocked the attackers from entering and security forces killed all four in a brief shootout.
• On October 31, a teenager blew himself up at a Federal Security Service (FSB) building in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk. Evidence suggests that the bombing was linked to anarchism, which has a long history in Russia but is typically connected to vandalism or arson attacks rather than bombings. The FSB has long been a target of anarchists in Russia for its role in repressing political groups in the country.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Russia increasingly used anti-terrorism legislation against the political opposition, independent media, and certain religious organizations to criminalize the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression or association. For further information, see the Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

In May, Russia amended the federal law pertaining to procedures of exit from and entry into the country. If the Russian Interdepartmental Commission on Combating the Financing of Terrorism has frozen funds of a foreign citizen, or the court has suspended operations on a person’s bank accounts, that person may be banned from entering the Russian Federation. Additionally, if a person participates in the financing of terrorism and extremism, that person may be banned from entering the Russian Federation.

On November 8, Russia’s FSB Director General Alexander Bortnikov said that in 2018 the FSB and its international partners identified 70 terrorist cells, 38 of which were affiliated with ISIS, across 24 regions of the country. He stated that Russian law enforcement detained 777 “supporters.” Russian authorities also detected and prevented potential terrorist attacks. For example, from June 14 to July 15, the Russian Federation held the FIFA World Cup in various cities across the western provinces. Despite multitudes of threats in a torrent of online postings from ISIS and lone offenders who may have been mobilized by online propaganda, Russia safeguarded millions of attendees who presented numerous soft target opportunities.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Russia is a member of the FATF and two FATF-style regional bodies: MONEYVAL and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism. Russia’s FIU, the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring) is a member of the Egmont Group.

For additional information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes.

Countering Violent Extremism: There were no significant changes in 2018.

International and Regional Cooperation: Russia participated in several joint counterterrorism exercises, including the Defenders of Friendship in October with the Egyptian Air Force. In 2018, Russia increased its counterterrorism cooperation efforts with China, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. Russia also promoted the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a forum for international counterterrorism cooperation. Russia is a member of the GCTF and an active participant in several multilateral organizations, including the OSCE, East Asia Summit (EAS), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum. In 2018, Russia proposed an EAS Statement on FTFs that was endorsed in November.