Counterterrorism in the Russian Arctic

5TH MARPART CONFERENCE. HURTIGRUTEN, 18 OCTOBER 2016.

INGVILL MOE ELGSAAS NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES (IFS) • Observations from: Counterterrorism in the Russian Arctic – Legal Framework and Central Actors • Research agenda: Arctic Counterterrorism - Between Separation and Integration Why Arctic counterterrorism? • The Arctic is considered a peaceful region (a zone of peace). • Although the threat of international terrorism is expanding, it is still far from the Arctic.

• And yet, – Countering terrorism in the Arctic has become a recurring topic and is duly mentioned in important official documents as well as in national and international mass media. – Emergency preparedness exercises in the Arctic include regular counterterrorist exercises.

• Mid- and long term perspective. • The nature of terrorism demands pre-emptive action. International Terrorism Domestic Russian Terrorism • International terror • alone accounted for 4% organisations are expanding of all terrorist incidents their geographical reach. recorded between 2002 and • Deaths by terrorism have 2011. The Beslan school siege increased dramatically. (9- is ranked as the 3rd worst fold increase 2000-2014. Global terrorism Index, 2015.) terrorist attack of the period. • Russia: • Russia has 2104 entries in the – Weapons supplied to Syria’s Global Terrorism Database Bashar al-Assad (START) for the period 1992- – 1,700 Russians fighting for ISIS 2015. in Iraq (A. Bortnikov, 2015) • Russia has regularly figured – Joint ‘cause’ with terrorist groups in Russia among the top 10 countries affected by terrorism. The Russian Arctic Terrorism and the Arctic • ‘The [Arctic] region has been and • ‘Finally, the sixth main area is remains within our sphere of special ensuring comprehensive safety- interests. Practically all aspects of security in the Russian Arctic zone. national security are concentrated […] Oil and gas facilities, loading here: military-political, economic, terminals and pipelines must be technological, ecological and resource adequately protected from terrorists [security].’ (Vladimir Putin, 2014) and other potential threats.’ (Vladimir Putin, 2014) • Arctic Policy (2008) and Arctic Strategy (2013): • ‘The current work of anti-terrorist The Arctic Zone of the Russian agencies in the [Arctic] region has Federation – Russia’s main base for some faults, especially in ensuring the strategic resources by 2020 security of the Northern Sea Route Utilising the Northern Sea Route as a and maritime-based economic unitary national transport line enterprises’ (Aleksandr Bortnikov, 2015) Counterterrorism in the Russian Federation: Legal Framework

• The Criminal Code Any action that: evokes fear in the population and creates danger for loss of life, causes substantial material damage or other severe consequences with the aim to destabilise activities of state bodies or international organisations or to influence their decisions; and also the threat to undertake such actions with such aims.(Article 205, section 1).

• The federal law On combating terrorism (No. 35, 2006) Supressing terrorist acts in the air, suppressing terrorist acts at sea, and using the Armed Forces in the fight against terrorism.

• The Concept of Counterterrorism (2009) Basic principles. Contemporary trends. A national system for counterterrorism.

. The ‘Yarovaya-law’ (No. 374 and No. 375, 2016) Counterterrorism in the Russian Federation: Central Actors

• The President of the RF Coordinating bodies in the national – Basic direction; Use of force system for counterterrorism: outside Russian territory • The federal government • National Antiterror – Implementation and Committee cooperation – federal, – Chaired by the director of the regional and local bodies; Federal Security Service (FSB) Categorising objects in need of protection • Federal Operational Staff – Leader is appointed by the • Regional authorities FSB director – Organisation of measures with representation from • Regional antiterror federal, regional and local commissions bodies – Chaired by the governor • Local authorities • The head of the regional FSB division is deputy chairman • Non-governmental organisations and • Regional operational staffs – Chaired by the head of the associations and also regional FSB division individuals National Antiterrorism Committee and Federal Operational Staff

Northwestern Urals Siberian Far Eastern Volga Central Southern North Caucasus Federal District Federal District Federal District Federal District Federal District Federal District Federal District Federal District

11 regional 6 Regional 12 regional 9 regional 14 regional 18 regional 6 regional 7 regional antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism antiterrorism commissions and commissions and commissions and commissions and commissions and commissions and commissions and commissions and regional regional regional operational regional regional operational regional operational regional operational regional operational operational staffs operational staffs staffs in: operational staffs staffs in: staffs in: staffs in: staffs in: in: in: Krasnoyarsk Kray in: Perm Kray Tver Oblast’ Volgograd Oblast’ Stavropol Kray Murmansk Oblast’ Yamalo-Nenets Irkutsk Oblast’ Sakha Republic Kirov Oblast’ Yaroslavl Oblast’ Astrakhan Oblast’ Dagestan Republic Kareliya Republic Autonomous Okrug Buryatiya Republic Chukotka Udmurt Republic Kostroma Oblast’ Kalmykiya Republic Chechen Republic Arkhangelsk Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Zabaykalskiy Kray Bashkortostan Ivanovo Oblast’ Rostov Oblast’ Ingushetiya Republic Oblast’ Autonomous Okrug Kamchatka Kray Republic Sverdlovsk Oblast’ Tuva Republic Vladimir Oblast’ Krasnodar Kray North Ossetiya Nenets Magadan Oblast’ Orenburg Oblast’ Republic Autonomous Okrug Tyumen Oblast’ Khakassiya Republic Ryazan Oblast’ Adygeya Republic Sakha Republic Saratov Oblast’ Kabardino-Balkariya Komi Republic Altay Republic Moscow Oblast’ Chelyabinsk Khabarovsk Kray Samara Oblast’ Republic Vologda Oblast’ Oblast’ Altay Kray Moscow Federal City Sakhalin Oblast’ Tatarstan Republic Karachay- Leningrad Oblast’ Kurgan Oblast’ Kemerovo Oblast’ Smolensk Oblast’ Cherkessiya Amur Oblast’ Ulyanovsk Oblast’ Saint Petersburg ’ Kaluga Oblast’ Republic Jewish Autonomous Chuvash Republic Federal City ’ Oblast’ Bryansk Oblast’ Marii El Republic Novgorod Oblast’ Oblast’ Primorskiy Kray Kursk Oblast’ Pskov Oblast’ Nizhnyy Novgorod Oblast’ Oryol Oblast’ Kaliningrad Oblast’ Mordovia Republic Tula Oblast’ Penza Oblast’ Lipetsk Oblast’ Tambov Oblast’ Voronezh Oblast’ Belgorod Oblast’ Counterterrorism in the Russian Federation: The Russian Arctic

Exercises

National Antiterrorism Committee and • Murmansk Seaport, June 2011. Federal Operational Staff ‘Ship as weapon’. • Vitino Port, August 2013. Northwestern FD Urals FD Siberian FD Far Eastern FD Explosives around an oil deposit. – http://www.tv21.ru/news/2013/08/27/v-morskom-portu-vitino- proshli-ucheniya-antiterror-2013 Yamalo-Nenets Krasnoyarsk antiterror Sakha antiterror Murmansk antiterror antiterror commission commission and commission and • Kola Bay, July 2013. Explosives commission and and operational staff operational staff operational staff operational staff (Tyumen?) on ship (OSR). – http://www.tv21.ru/news/2013/07/25/antiterroristicheskie- ucheniya-proshli-na-beregu-kolskogo-zaliva • Lyostari (Pechenga), March Arkhangelsk antiterror Komi antiterror Chukotka antiterror commission and commission and commission and 2013. Large scale. – http://www.tv21.ru/news/2013/03/18/na-borbu-s-terrorizmom operational staff operational staff operational staff • Murmashi Airport, March 2015. ‘Plane as weapon’. – http://www.tv21.ru/news/2015/03/26/bolshie-ucheniya Nenets antiterror commission and • Metel’, August 2016. School. operational staff – http://www.tv21.ru/news/2016/08/17/vse-na- borbu-s-terroristicheskoy-ugrozoy-operaciyu-metel- proveli-v-murmanske

Cooperation and coherence Arctic Counterterrorism: Between Separation and Integration For discussion:

Separation Integration ‘Result’

The Russian Arctic is a Counterterrorism (CT) is Arctic preparedness is an special case with its own a necessary component integrated whole that state policy and strategy in a comprehensive consists of: (and soon also a federal safety-security regime in law). the Russian Arctic – Russian Arctic SAR, OSR alongside Arctic search and CT; Norwegian and recue (SAR) and Arctic SAR, OSR and CT; Arctic oil spill Icelandic SAR, OSR and response(OSR). CT; Greenlandic SAR, OSR and CT; American The Russian Arctic is Arctic SAR, OSR and CT; indivisible from the rest Canadian Arctic SAR, of the circumpolar Arctic OSR and CT. – a zone of peace and cooperation, including preparedness cooperation. For discussion:

Integration Separation ‘Result’

Counterterrorism is a Russia takes issue with Arctic preparedness is a unitary field with a what is perceived as fragmented field with no single streamlined double standards in counterterrorism organisation across the “Western” cooperation. Russian Federation. counterterrorism (including that of other Russia welcomes Arctic states). cooperation in international The “West” (including counterterrorism. Arctic states) takes issue with what is perceived as overreaching counterterrorist measures in Russia. Arctic Preparedness

Search and rescue Oil spill response Counterterrorism

Status: Status: Status: Developed and Developed and Underdeveloped developing developing

Trends: Trends: Trends: Integrated into Artic Integrated into Artic Integrated into national cooperative framework cooperative framework CT framework.

Closely linked to OSR Closely linked to SAR Separated from the well- established fields in Arctic preparedness (SAR and OSR)