The attack in Moscow last week dramatically brought the issue of Islamist terrorism back into the spotlight.
The claim of responsibility by the Islamic State and the evidence disseminated by the jihadist organization leave little room for doubt.
However, exceptions exist for those who find the reality inconvenient, such as Vladimir Putin, who prefers the narrative of a Ukrainian connection.
The situation, however, is simpler than the Russian President would like to believe or portray.
Engulfed by his country’s invasion of Ukraine, he seems to have forgotten about other, more serious threats.
The U.S. had warned of an imminent attack and even urged their citizens residing in Russia to be cautious.
Vladimir Putin reacted by stating that it was a Western attempt to destabilise his country.
Blaming the West has always been the easy way out for the Russian regime.
If something goes wrong, it’s the West’s fault. If there are problems, blame the West. If public opinion needs rallying, again, eyes turn to the West.
The West targets Russia. The West envies Russia. The West is an enemy of Russia.
Based on this narrative, a bitter confrontation has been brewing in recent years, with the West becoming the scapegoat.
What Russia forgot, and the massacre reminded them of, is that for the jihadists, Russia itself is part of the West.
For several reasons, with the most significant being that it’s a Christian country which also upholds Orthodox Christianity.
Muslim populations live on its soil, and relations with the central government aren’t always the best, leaving room for radicalisation.
Moreover, from the jihadists’ perspective, Moscow’s military interventions in Syria and Chechnya aren’t different from Washington’s actions in Iraq or Libya.
As Marc Champion wrote for Bloomberg about the terrorists of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, Russia is part of the Christian West.
It doesn’t belong to the territory of their imaginary Islamic caliphate, and they don’t want to have dealings with it. It’s an enemy, and they make no distinction between Russian and Western colonialism.
The Russian leadership misread the developments, leading them to face a major tragedy that’s challenging to manage, largely due to their own mistakes.
