The U.S. embassy in Russia issued a warning regarding imminent plans by “extremists” for an attack in Moscow, shortly after Russian security services claimed to have thwarted a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell linked to the Afghan branch of Islamic State. The embassy, advocating for the immediate departure of all U.S. citizens from Russia, refrained from elaborating on the specifics of the threat but advised individuals to steer clear of concerts and crowded areas while remaining vigilant.
“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” stated the embassy on its website. This cautionary notice followed several hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) disclosed the prevention of an assault on a synagogue in Moscow by a militant Sunni Muslim group affiliated with Islamic State.
The correlation between the two statements remains unclear. In alignment with the U.S. advisory, allies such as Britain, Canada, South Korea, and Latvia echoed the warning and advised their citizens against traveling to Russia. Most Western nations discourage all travel to Russia and recommend the evacuation of their citizens. The U.S. has elevated its warning level for Russia to the highest tier, marked as red “4 – Do not travel,” matching the same classification as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and Iran.
The conflict in Ukraine has precipitated the most profound crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Accusing the U.S. of engaging in anti-Russian actions by supporting Ukraine financially, militarily, and intelligently, the Kremlin asserts that relations with Washington may currently be at their nadir. The FSB divulged the existence of an Islamic State cell operating in Russia’s Kaluga region under the Afghan arm of the group, identified as ISIS-Khorasan, aspiring to establish a caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran.
Originating in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014, the group gained notoriety for its extreme brutality. The FSB disclosed that the cell “was preparing to attack the congregants of a synagogue using firearms” and, upon engagement by Russian special forces, the militants were “neutralized” by return fire. Seized items included firearms, ammunition, and components for constructing an improvised explosive device.
Diplomatic assignments to Moscow are now deemed among the most challenging globally by Western nations. The U.S. State Department classifies Moscow alongside Freetown, Mogadishu, Damascus, and Kabul in terms of hardship for its diplomats. The presence of U.S. journalists in Moscow is nearly nonexistent. Western diplomats in Moscow report frequent intrusive surveillance and harassment, prompting an update of the “Moscow Rules,” a guide developed by Western intelligence operatives during the Soviet era to prevent complacency, for contemporary Russia.
Russia has long voiced grievances regarding the routine harassment of its diplomats in major Western capitals and alleged discrimination against its citizens amidst what Moscow perceives as the most severe wave of Russophobia in roughly a century.
(Reuters)
