A new video released by ISIS today threatened to carry out attacks inside Russia “very soon,” vowing to see Russian blood “spill like an ocean” in their attacks. The message was primarily audio, as the video was said to be recycled from previous ISIS propaganda videos.
Though they could not immediately authenticate the video, Russian officials said their security agencies are taking it very seriously, and trying to find out more about it. ISIS has been threatening attacks against Russia since the nation began airstrikes in Syria backing the Assad government.
The video is likely to get a lot more tension after the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula, an attack which has been attributed to a bombing by ISIS’ Sinai affiliate. Russia has cancelled all flights out of Egypt in response to that bombing, which killed 224.
While the loss of a passenger airliner was shocking enough, the prospect of attacks inside Russian territory by ISIS infiltrators threatens to be a game-changer for Russian security, threatening to make Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war hugely controversial, whereas it was launched with little public debate and a suggestion that it would be short and limited.
The video may also add impetus to Russia’s push for a negotiated settlement of the Syrian Civil War, aiming to unite the government and secular rebels against ISIS. They’ve been trying this for awhile, and have faced a lot of resistance from the rebels, but growing concerns about ISIS may get Russian officials more creative about getting the deal going.
The sheer vastness of the Russian Federation likely makes ISIS infiltration impossible to prevent, and ISIS recruitment in the Caucasus region, particularly Chechnya, means they have more than a few Russian citizens who could be sent back for attacks. ISIS’ formation around foreign recruits has made this a palpable fear around the world, with Russia just the latest focus of ISIS.
Realism dawns! Trying to unite Syrian rebels won't help. ISIS is militarily unbeatable. Putin either bogs himslef down totally in Syria or he pulls out of the precious naval base. Either way, he loses. If he fights, the flow of body bags from Syria and ISIS attacks inside Russia will sooner or later set off an anti-war movement. Pulling out will discredit him in the eyes of his elderly supporters. The numerous and overdone efforts to hype Putin's supposed "popularity" suggest that he isn't all that popular in Russia. Most Russians probably see him as a Soviet-era dinosaur who is holding back the country's post-Soviet development. I've met a lot of Russians from Generation X, the oldest of whom are now in their 40s, and what they want is to be modern Europeans like the rest of us. The want German cars, Paris fashions and winter holidays in the sun. By picking a fight with the EU over Ukraine and compounding his error by wading into the Syrian quagmire, Putin has put all that on hold. Indeed, he's now getting young Russians killed in pursuit of imperial pipedreams the young don't share. He might have got away with a short, successful campaign, after which everything went back to normal. Now, in addition to the mess he's made in Ukraine, he's got the mess he's making in Syria and a terrorist mess looming on the horizon. Sooner or later, his American backers are going to be able to destroy the EU and is more trouble than he's worth.
As usual, you are talking nonsense. You are cheering for these monsters — anything that will cause harm to Russia. For your information, this kind of Russia bashing and ill will is not flying too well around the globe. Following the stupidity in Ukraine, US and the West are compounding the mess by arming the Nazis in Ukraine, and for the sake of getting out the secular regime in Damascus, US and the collective West do not mind using the devil out of hell — to get their way. How do you think most of the world is reacting to the cheerful prognostications of Russian economy troubles, or even more cheerful celebrations of ISIS killing Russian innocents? Pipe it down — Putin did not get into it without the plan, or without the support of major non-western powers. So, chill, and think — how much longer is the collective west prepared to torture Syrian people f by unleashing on them THOUSANDS OF TERRORIST GROUPS for the sake of "winning" their dirty little war? Europe is getting its comeuppance, as the refugees from as far as Afghanistan or as close as Kosovo — poor into the fortress Europe. Russia and China have an interest in stopping the terrorist armies from taking territories, and spreading into Afghanistan, and from there into Central Asia. Such armies that are motivated by their cosmic, end of the world, ideology must be stopped. Instead, we get SOUR faced Western officials, complaining about — Russia. Not about the monsters that took all those innocent lives. The problem that US/UK are facing is that now even their usual satraps in Europe are following. You can be assured that Russia will identify WHO is financing, arming and politically protecting ISIS. Russia and the entire Eurasia are endangered — including Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Russia is not here defending only its own interests, and they are supported by most large nations in the world outside of White West. They will find sources of income, telecom, ammunition and arms. It has been just over one month — so suppress your joy. Your ISIS may not succeed in spite of your most fervent wishes. FYI:
That should be your first clue who is really pulling ISIS strings. how obvious does it have to be?
The "Caliph" of ISIS should hold a seance and ask Napoleon and Hitler what happens to morons who p!$$ off Russia.
Oh for Haruhi’s sake, Antiwar Admins–is it too much to ask that y’all post a list of forbidden words so we’ll know which ones not to use?
Moderator’s note: Yes, that is too much to ask, since there isn’t any list of forbidden words to publish. When your comments get held for moderation, it’s generally because IntenseDebate, the commenting system we use, thinks they look like spam. After that, they have to be gone through by hand, and it may be awhile depending on when you posted and how many comments there are to look at (in this case, there weren’t that many — but you posted right about the time I was headed off for bed, so your comment waited until I woke up). – TLK