Paper
Matthew Rojansky
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Source: Getty
In The Media
In the Wake of the Moscow Bombings
In the wake of the recent Moscow suicide bombings, the Russian people may begin to draw a connection between corruption among police and security forces and the inability of those security forces to protect Russian citizens from terrorist attacks.
Published on Mar 30, 2010
Source: BBC Radio's Up All Night
Considering the history of terrorist attacks from the North Caucasus, Rojansky asserted that it is not unsurprising that the majority of Russians make the assumption that the bombings were linked to the North Caucasus. Most of the analysis thus far has suggested that these attacks were in retaliation for recent efforts by the federally backed forces in the North Caucasus to take out some of the militants hiding there. Rojansky explained that he expects the federal forces to react by further concentrating their counterterrorist efforts in the North Caucasus region.
These attacks should be seen as part of a series of attacks going back more than a decade, Rojansky stated. Generally speaking, Russians appreciate how difficult it is for their government to prevent such attacks, given the difficulty of penetrating militant communities. The Russian authorities have already taken significant actions against the militants believed responsible for the bombings, and Rojansky expressed doubts that the authorities have any good sources left. He added that further suicide attacks by female bombers, known as ‘black widows’ are especially difficult to prevent, as the bombers are often driven by strong personal emotions and sometimes operate almost independently.
Given that Russia has recently seen a number of protests about police accountability, corruption among security officials, and state power under Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev, Rojansky concluded with a question about whether the Russian people will speak out about the connection between police corruption and the inability of security forces to protect citizens from terrorist attacks.
About the Author
Matthew Rojansky
Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program
Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.
- An Opportunity for Ambition: Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship
- Presiding Over the OSCE: Challenges and OpportunitiesIn The Media
Matthew Rojansky
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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