Russia now prosecutes more people for ‘extremism’ and ‘justifying terrorism’ than at any time since the rule of Josef Stalin
Vladimir Putin and the FSB have not commented on Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the concert hall attack but allege – without evidence – the gunmen had accomplices in Ukraine. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
Two decades ago, militants from Chechnya, Dagestan and other restive regions often launched deadly gun and bomb attacks and major raids, including the 2002 Dubrovka theatre siege in Moscow and the 2004 attack on a school in the southern town of Beslan. Russia now prosecutes more people for “extremism” and “justifying terrorism” than at any time since the rule of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, yet most of the accused have done nothing more than criticise Putin and his war in Ukraine.
On March 7th, the US embassy in Moscow warned that extremists planned to “target large gatherings” in the city. Last Tuesday, after securing another six years in power in a choreographed presidential election, Putin told FSB officers that these “provocative statements” resembled “outright blackmail” and attempts to “intimidate and destabilise our society”.
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