The head of the Russian interior ministry’s main directorate for counter-terrorism on Tuesday said that several clandestine cells of the ISIS terrorist group had been eliminated in 17 Russian regions so far this year.
According to a report by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which quoted the official, during the first half of the year, 972 crimes of an extremist nature were identified, with nearly 1.700 similar actions recorded in 2018.
The primary goal of the jihadi cells is to forcibly unite all Muslims into a worldwide caliphate, Russian officials added.
In April, the Federal Security Service announced the elimination of a seven-man cell on the outskirts of Moscow.