Kremlin ‘impotent’ in fight against Isis
VLADIMIR Putin cannot carry out reprisals against Islamic State for the Moscow massacre because Russia relies on central Asian migrant workers, according to experts.
The 71-year-old leader, who has just secured himself another election victory, vowed to “punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity” after the attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22 which left 143 dead.
The attack was claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province (Isis-k), a splinter group of the fundamentalist sect based in central Asia.
Russia has blamed Ukraine, the US and UK for helping to arrange the attack, but desperate labour shortages mean Putin cannot antagonise states including Tajikistan – home of four of the gunmen charged over the rampage.
Russia is short of around five million workers, which was made worse by the decision to invade Ukraine. “Putin’s first mobilisation in 2022 was massively unpopular. He wanted 300,000 extra troops, but 600,000 to 900,000 Russians fled the country,” said Professor Mark Galeotti, of the Council on Geostrategy think tank.
“Between the needs of the war and the needs of the defence industrial complex, whose factories are now working 24/7, there is a huge labour shortage. The millions of central Asians are crucial to the war effort.”
He added any campaign to root out Isis-k sympathisers would backfire due to the “notoriously ham-fisted” nature of Russia’s security services.
“There would be doors kicked down and people beaten, and an exodus of central Asians would ensue.
“That would be a big problem. So he is impotent to act and is left blaming the usual subjects.”