ANALYTICAL PROJECT VLADIMIR PUTIN‘S RUSSIA December 17, 2014 No. 7 Why it is worth to reconsider links between Kremlin and international terrorism Marius Laurinavičius, Senior Analyst, EESC It was all over the world news when Grybauskaitė’s public address about Russia Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė being the “terrorist country” was undoubtedly publicly stated that Russia was a “terrorist related to the aggression in Ukraine. The country”1. She later explained that Russia objective of this essay is to put on the table “has attributes of a terrorist state”. much more disturbing and suspicious facts about Russia’s relations with international It’s difficult to evaluate how much it helped the terrorism. But let’s start with Ukraine. international community to take thought of what exactly they are dealing with. But this very loud Alexander J. Motyl, in his essay "Putin‘s wake-up call is a perfect opportunity to shed Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism"3, that more light on this issue that has not been widely was published in the World Affairs magazine addressed either in Lithuania or worldwide. this April, has substantiated that Russia can be legally considered as sponsoring terrorism Therefore this essay of the Putin's Russia series based on its aggression towards Ukraine, and to will be a bit unusual. In this case I decided to be sanctioned accordingly. examine not the current Russian government structure, the interrelation of various clans and Let me remind you that Motyl was using USA’s their influence to processes in Russia and and EU’s publicly available legal definitions of worldwide, but rather focus on why Russia can terrorism, and official reports from EU and now be reasonably called a country that NATO officials on the affairs in Ukraine. sponsors terrorism2. I will also discuss the very suspicious links between the current regime and At the time, the Donbass plane crash was yet to international terrorism, and the historical role of happen- there were no reports from US Soviet Union’s KGB (the foundation of Putin’s intelligence that it was done by the so-called regime) in developing an international terrorism separatists4, no public announcements from US network. president Obama that the plane was shot down How to legally evaluate the aggression in 3 Alexander J. Motyl. Putin’s Russia as a State Sponsor of Ukraine? Terrorism. http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j- motyl/putin%E2%80%99s-russia-state-sponsor-terrorism 1 The Baltic Times. “Lithuania President calls Russia 4 US Analysis: Pro-Russian separatists likely fired missile ’terrorist state’ “. that brought down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/35799 http://whnt.com/2014/07/18/us-analysis-pro-russian- 2 State Sponsors of Terrorism. separatists-likely-fired-missile-that-brought-down- http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm malaysian-airlines-flight-17 1 www.eesc.lt ANALYTICAL PROJECT VLADIMIR PUTIN‘S RUSSIA from the area controlled by separatists5, and legal base to declare it a state sponsor of Russia6, not accidentally, provided separatists terrorism. with modern weapons. There was no information about the research (carried by the However, Western world is reluctant to independent group of journalists, the so-called officially declare that the so-called People’s Bellingcat) that drew the conclusions that the Republic of Donetsk and Lugansk are terrorist missile system that shot down the Malaysian organisations. Obviously, it is a political Airlines plane was supplied to separatists by decision in order to protect Russia from Russia. All of these reports were yet to come. automatic recognition as a state sponsor of terrorism. This explanation was given by Apart from all this, there is now an official Jewgen Worobyov10, the famous expert of statement from Amnesty International7 that Ukraine’s and Russia’s affairs, during his ‘based on the collected evidence, Russia is interview with the Ukrainian news agency fueling the conflict both by direct intervention UNIAN. Worobyov is working at the Polish and by supporting separatists in the East’. In the Institute of International Relations that is US more than 100 thousand people signed the closely related to country’s ministries of internal petition8 that Russia, based on all facts, should and foreign affairs. be declared a state sponsor of terrorism with all the awaiting consequences. State terrorism abroad However, the international reaction remains the Legal basis for declaring Putin’s Russia a state same: headlines raise a question - will Russia sponsor of terrorism was there well before the get away with this again?9 Especially now, aggression in Ukraine. But the West then closed when the world’s attention is drawn to the latest their eyes on what would otherwise guarantee a report from US Senate about the CIA prisons place among the states sponsoring terrorism for and torture in them. any other country. Regarding Malaysian airplane shoot down, only I have in mind the two proven terrorist acts that the formal investigation could show whether Putin’s Russia has performed abroad. They Russia was involved in this, and if there is a include the bombing of the former Chechnya’s vice-president Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Doha, 5 Obama says Malaysian plane shot down by missile from Qatar, in 2004, and the poisoning of Alexander rebel-held part of Ukraine. Litvinenko, a fugitive officer of the Russian http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/missile-downs- FSB secret service, with radionuclide polonium- malaysia-airlines-plane-over-ukraine-killing-298-kiev- 210 in UK in 2006. blames-rebels/2014/07/18/d30205c8-0e4a-11e4-8c9a- 923ecc0c7d23_story.html 6 Origin of the Separatists’ Buk: A Bellingcat US laws define terrorism as ‘a conscious, Investigation. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and- politically motivated violence by the sub-group europe/2014/11/08/origin-of-the-separatists-buk-a- or secret agents carried out against civilian bellingcat-investigation/ 7 targets, mostly in order to influence the Ukraine: Mounting evidence of war crimes and Russian 11 involvement. http://aimalaysia.org/ukraine-mounting- public’ . evidence-war-crimes-and-russian-involvement 8 White House responds to petition asking to designate Russia as state sponsor of terrorism. 10 Polish expert explains why West refuses to declare http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/12/06/white-house- Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics terrorist responds-to-petition-to-designate-russia-as-state-sponsor- organizations. of-terrorism http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/10/30/polish-expert- 9 Amy Knight. “Flight MH17: Will Russia Get Away explains-why-west-refuses-to-declare-donetsk-and- With It?” lugansk-peoples-republics-terrorist-organizations http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/nov/19/flig 11http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/terrorism/Pages/welco ht-mh-17-will-russia-get-away-it me.aspx#note1 2 www.eesc.lt ANALYTICAL PROJECT VLADIMIR PUTIN‘S RUSSIA The prevailing definition of international due to the alleged secret agreements with terrorism defines it as ‘terrorism carried out by Moscow, the judge sentenced them to life governments or the one which is carried out imprisonment15. In his statement, the Qatari directly or promoted and funded by state’s judge, Ibrahim Saleh al-Nisf, for the first time legitimate government, or terrorist acts publicly accused senior Russian officials of performed by the government against its own orchestrating the killing of Zelimkhan people or with support from international Yandarbiyev. terrorism’12. Qatar soon agreed to extradite the prisoners to Assassinations of Yandarbiyev and Litvinenko Russia where they would serve out their life fall into both of these categories. sentence. The agents received a heroes' welcome on returning to Moscow in January Let me remind you that Yanderbiyev was 2005 but the Russian prison authorities admitted bombed in his SUV (sports utility vehicle) in in February 2005 that they did not serve their Doha on February 13, 2004. Qatar’s law life sentence after all. enforcement then arrested three Russians - Alexander Fetisov, the first secretary at the There have been several public announcements Russian embassy in Qatar, and two Russian that UK’s law enforcement had inconvertible military intelligence agents - Anatolij evidence that Litvinenko had been poisoned by Jablochkov and Vasiliy Pugachev. two former KGB agents – Andreiy Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun16. UK’s authorities had no Fetisov had to be released due to his diplomatic doubt that Russian government was behind immunity - he was sent out of the country. this terrorist-like attack17 18. However, some authors argue that this diplomat regained freedom because of yet another Truth be told, Russia refused to extradite the Russia’s action that had indications of terrorism. suspects to British law enforcement, and In Moscow’s airport two members of Qatar’s London itself had many doubts about holding a Olympic wrestling team13 were arrested and public hearing of the case at all19. Ben basically held hostage for completely Emmerson, the lawyer of victim’s widow inexplicable accusations. These men were not Marina, had publicly accused British even traveling to Russia - they were on a transit government of a possible conspiracy with to Serbia. Later they were allegedly exchanged for Fetisov. 15 У приговоренных в Катаре сотрудников ГРУ есть Be that as it may, Jablochkov and Pugachev шанс вернуться в Россию в качестве "подарка" Путину. were found guilty of Yandarbiyev’s http://newsru.com/arch/russia/01jul2004/could_be_may_b assassination, attempted murder of his 12-year e.html old son Dauda, and gun smuggling into Qatar. 16 Britain does U-turn on ex-KGB agent Litvinenko The verdict was reached by Qatar’s court. The murder inquiry. evidence was so strong that Qatar’s public http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/22/uk-britain-russia- 14. litvinenko-idUKKBN0FR0VX20140722 prosecution sought death penalty But again, 17 Alexander Litvinenko murder: British evidence 'shows Russia involved'.