Extremism as a threat to Russia's national security. Basic principles, causes and prevention

Extremism as a threat to Russia's national security is directed against the unity and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, to destabilize the situation (domestic and social). This is an extremely dangerous phenomenon that engenders terrorist activity (an extreme manifestation of extremism). Next, we consider such concepts as terrorism, extremism and society, a threat to the country's security. The most high-profile terrorist crimes, signs, causes of extremism and terrorism, countermeasures and so on will be listed.

The concept of extremist activity

The spread of extremism poses a threat to the country's internal security and integrity. Terrorism as a phenomenon is rejected by society, but extremism - the main element of the destruction of constitutional foundations, is perceived by citizens as an acceptable way in a political confrontation. Today, the manifestations of this dangerous phenomenon are found in interethnic and interfaith relations, culture, politics and other areas of society. This concept is multifaceted, therefore, it acts as the main destabilizing factor in the life of society and the state.

The concept is formulated in the Russian Federal Law “On Countering Extremist Activities”. Extremism as a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation is a commitment to extreme views and methods of action. Among the political manifestations of this phenomenon can be noted the provocation of the riots, the conduct of guerrilla warfare and even terrorist acts. Radical extremists often reject in principle any negotiations, agreements, or compromises.

The growth of extremism as a threat to Russia's national security is facilitated by socio-economic crises, a decline in the level of well-being of the population and a deterioration in the overall quality of life, totalitarian regimes with the suppression of opposition and dissent, and external intervention. In some situations, extremist measures may be the only effective way for individuals and organizations to influence the situation, especially if the state is in a civil war or a revolutionary situation develops. In this case, we can talk about forced extremism.

Nationalism and Religious Extremism

Extremism is a very complex phenomenon. There is no single definition in international practice; in different states and in different periods, many legal and scientific definitions have been given to this concept. Extremism as a threat to Russia's national security is directly connected in most cases with terrorism, religious contradictions, and nationalism.

An event from the history of new Russia showed that preachers of a non-traditional Islamic movement of Wahhabism represent a significant threat. Leaders and ideologists of the trend conduct active propaganda work (especially among young people), which is the main focus of their activities. Among the political associations that operate on the territory of Russia and aim to change the constitutional system of the Russian Federation include RNE - Russian National Unity. This is a large right-wing organization.

Left-wing associations also exist. For example, the Revolutionary Communist Youth Union, the Vanguard of the Red Youth or the National Bolshevik Party, which appeared after the split of the RKSM. Organizations unite youth of a pro-communist orientation, set as their goal the struggle against the current regime of power, and have a pronounced extremist orientation. The activity of associations consists mainly in participating in mass events, during which banners are shown, calling for a violent change of power, slogans are shouted.

Threats to Russia's national security

In a multiconfessional and multinational state like the Russian Federation, the internal threat comes from terrorist, separatist and extremist organizations. The activities of radical individuals and organizations are aimed at changing power by force, changing constitutional foundations, violating the integrity of the Russian Federation, undermining security, inciting ethnic, social, racial and religious hatred, creating gang armed groups. Extremism and terrorism as a threat to national security are indeed very dangerous phenomena.

Terrorism as an international threat

Extremism as a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation is rarely considered, because society is still ready to put up with some of its manifestations. From international practice: a moral assessment of the use of guerrilla warfare tactics by N. Mandela against the government of South Africa may vary depending on the general opinion of the world community, leadership, crises, and so on. Thus, the views on extremism are formed to some extent by the modern and historical context.

But terrorism is regarded differently - this is a major national threat, which is rejected by society. Terrorism is an extreme form of extremism, which today has become enormous. Previously, this phenomenon was perceived mainly as a form of political violence (for example, the assassination of Alexander II by the Volunteers), used on a limited scale. At present, this is a specific form of violence that can be carried out on an almost unlimited scale, a national threat. The borders between international and national terrorism are being erased, and organizations are expanding ties with cartels for human trafficking, drug trafficking, and arms trafficking.

Extremism and terrorism, as a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation and other countries, choose religious and political concepts as their ideological cover: perverted interpretations of world religions, violent propagation of democracy “according to the American model” and so on. The international nature of this threat in the modern world is evidenced by the establishment by terrorists of close mutually beneficial ties with transnational organized crime. As mentioned above, here we are talking mainly about organizations involved in drug trafficking.

Terrorist crimes

Recently, a trend has been outlined in the Russian Federation in the dynamics of extremist and terrorist crimes. This is a serious threat to Russia's national security and territorial integrity. Extremism is mainly manifested in public calls for extremist activity, incitement of hostility and hatred, humiliation of human dignity, organization of activity. As for terrorism, society is constantly confronted with this diverse in its methods of action and forms, large-scale non-human phenomenon:

1. 1999 year. The explosions in Volgodonsk, Buinaksk and Moscow claimed 307 lives, more than 1, 700 people received various injuries or suffered to one degree or another.
2. year 2001. The well-known attack on the WTC in the United States, which killed several thousand people, hijacking four passenger airliners. Terrorist attacks committed by al-Qaeda.
3. 2002 year. The attack on Dubrovka in Moscow. A group of terrorists led by Movsar Baraev captured and held hostages in the building of the Theater Center. According to official figures, 130 people died, about 700 were wounded, and there were 40 terrorists.
4. 2004 year. Hostage taking at a school in Beslan. Killed more than 300 people, mostly children. Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for organizing the attack, his statement was published on the website of Chechen terrorists Kavkaz Center.
5. 2010 year. Explosions in the Moscow metro killed 41 people, 88 people were injured. The responsibility for the suicide bombings was claimed by the leader of the "Caucasian Emirate".
6. 2011. Explosions in the Minsk metro. The explosion of the device, stuffed with nails, metal balls and fittings, killed 15 people, more than 200 were injured. The organizers were citizens of Belarus, but the ambassadors of Cuba and Venezuela believed that the attack was organized by US forces.
7. year 2013. An explosion in the audience area at the finish of the Boston marathon. The main suspects were the Tsarnaev brothers, former citizens of Kyrgyzstan. Their actions were motivated by the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islamic extremism. At the same time, the terrorists did not belong to any well-known group.
8. year 2014. The attack of fighters on Grozny. As a result of the armed attack, Interior Ministry officials and one civilian were killed. Members of the "Caucasian Emirate" claimed responsibility for the attack. Terrorists said they are taking revenge for the oppression of Muslim women.
9. 2015 year. The crash of the Russian plane over the Sinai. The bomb explosion killed all 217 passengers and 7 crew members of the aircraft, which flew from Egypt to St. Petersburg.
10. 2016 year. The attack in Paris. The victims of several terrorist attacks were 130 people, more than 350 wounded, of whom 99 were in critical condition. Mostly people aged 20-30 years died. The Islamic State group, banned in Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Extreme manifestations of extremism are a threat to the security of Russia and other states. As a result of attacks in the Russian Federation since 1999, 1, 667 people were killed. Most of the victims are in the capital, republics of the South Caucasus and the southern regions of the country. Actual losses in terrorist attacks are comparable to losses in a war. For example, the United States during the period of hostilities in Afghanistan (12 years) lost 2.3 thousand soldiers.

Signs of terrorism as a criminal act

Researchers of this phenomenon agree on the following signs of terrorism: use of extreme forms of violence or the threat of violence, striking terrorist targets beyond physical harm, causing physical harm or death, achieving goals through psychological pressure on non-victims (relatives of victims, society in in general, political and public figures), victims are usually chosen by symbolic rather than real value. In modern literature, one can find such distinctive features of terrorism and extremism - threats to national security, constitutional foundations and state integrity of countries:

• gives rise to high public danger;
• has a public character, terrorism without publicity and the presentation of a list of requirements does not openly exist;
• deliberate creation of an atmosphere of fear, tension and depression;
• violence is used on some individuals and property, and psychological impact in order to induce certain (beneficial to terrorists and extremists behavior) behavior - on other individuals.

Extremism as a threat does not arise only from the desire to harm the population, to commit murder and destroy any objects. Everything is subject to common goals. Terrorism is a means of psychological influence. The object is not the victims, but those who survived. The purpose of the attacks is to intimidate and demoralize society, and not to kill in itself. This terrorist activity differs from sabotage, the purpose of which is the destruction of the object or the elimination of the enemy. However, in some cases, the goals are the same. As for extremism, the main threats are the destruction of the existing constitutional order, the violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, and the undermining of national security.

The main causes of terrorism and extremism

Extremism has been inherent in the history of many peoples, and the degree of activity of radical movements depended on the nature of the political regime, social and spiritual life. A qualitatively new period in the development of extremism fell on the second half of the last century. Organized movements appeared in Europe, the USA, and Russia that used radical actions to influence their governments. In Russia, these were the Narodniks, in the USA, Spain, France, Italy - anarchists. Other examples include fascist and national separatist movements in Italy, Germany, France, and Hungary.

The UN called the main causes of extremism and terrorism poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, imperfection of training and education systems, lack of life prospects, negative consequences of migration, lack of cultural facilities, dissemination of ideas and opinions by the media that lead to increased inequality, intolerance and violence, the weakening of social and family ties, the destruction of cultural national identities and so on. In domestic literature there are such reasons:

• a decline in living standards with increased social differentiation, which causes anger, hatred, envy, nostalgia for the past and so on;
• economic crisis, energy, rising cost of basic goods and the depreciation of money;
• the crisis situation of some social and / or professional associations, especially those with experience working with explosives and devices, combat experience;
• rising unemployment, which causes problems of vagrancy, psychological degradation, migration problems, disorientation of an individual in a free economy, and so on;
• widespread and affordable weapons, specific military mindsets, military training;
• undermining authority or overthrowing the government;
• national self-affirmation;
• the dissemination of views leading to the growth of inequality, violence and intolerance, the instilling in the population of permissiveness and omnipotence of terrorist groups.

The causes of extremism as a threat to national security are usually divided into social (low living standards), political (political instability, lack of measures to ensure internal security, the influence of political regimes, long-standing conflicts between the West and the East, South and North), religious (radical movements that promote violence)) spiritual (crisis of society, distortion of accepted moral, moral, universal and spiritual values) and economic (today terrorism brings income comparable to income from drugs o- and oil business).

Features of international terrorism

Extremism is a threat to society that leads to terrorism. Modern extremism and terrorism are well organized and structured in nature. Radical organizations create a centralized management system, a unified leadership and controlling units. In addition, they are serious factors in the formation and destabilization of military danger in a number of regions. There used to be a border between war and terrorism. Currently, it is becoming conditional. There is a substitution of the causes and goals of terror and war. This is confirmed by recent events in Libya, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, in the conflict zone between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, and so on.

Principles of countering extremism

At present, an extensive regulatory framework has been developed in countering the national threats of Russia. Extremism and terrorism are condemned, for actions of this nature administrative and criminal liability is provided. The main principles of counteraction are:

• state cooperation with religious and public organizations;
• the priority of ensuring the state security of the country (citizens' freedoms are limited by the Federal Law only to the extent necessary to ensure security);
• recognition, observance and protection of human rights and freedoms, the legitimate interests of various organizations, publicity;
• the advantage of measures aimed at preventing extremism and terrorism;
• inevitability of administrative or criminal punishment (depending on the article) for carrying out extremist and terrorist activities.

Respect for the rights and freedoms of a citizen and a person is guaranteed by the Constitution of the state. The principle of legality is general legal, that is, the activities of the state, the powers that be of persons and organizations must comply with the adopted regulatory legal acts. Publicity suggests that the results of organizations opposing extremism should be made public and accessible to the public. The priority of measures aimed at preventing dangerous activities means that the fight against such phenomena must be waged even before their first manifestations: terrorist attacks or mass actions.

Countering extremism as a threat to the national security of Russia (schoolchildren and students often write essays on this topic, which is a preventive measure, which is discussed in more detail below) is carried out in the following areas:

1. Identification, suppression and prevention of extremist activities of public, religious associations and individuals, other organizations and individuals, elimination of the reasons that contribute to the implementation of dangerous activities.
2. The adoption of preventive measures and conditions that contribute to the prevention of extremist activities. This includes identifying the causes and conditions conducive to extremism and terrorism and their further elimination.

Preventive measures

Extremism is a threat to security, territorial integrity and constitutional foundations. An extremely dangerous phenomenon must be prevented, which is the result of preventive measures. Prevention is carried out in schools and other educational institutions, in enterprises and through the media. According to law enforcement agencies, this helps prevent some crimes.

Так, особенно важным направлением противодействия экстремизму как угрозе национальной безопасности России являются профилактические меры. В этих целях воспитывается патриотичность, проводится пропаганда толерантности, миролюбия и веротерпимости, стремления к мирному урегулированию возникающих конфликтов. В России это имеет особую актуальность, которая обуславливается высокой социальной напряженностью, продолжающимися межконфессиональными и межэтническими конфликтами, ростом национального экстремизма и сепаратизма.

Угроз в России достаточно, поэтому работа проводится широкомасштабная. Большую часть информации граждане получают через СМИ, а молодежь - на занятиях по ОГП, обществознанию, в ходе бесед в образовательных учреждениях.