Putin younger
In light of the St Petersburg terror attack on April 3rd, 2017 - it is important to recap the severity of Russia's experience with international terrorism, funded from abroad. The perception of Western audiences is often that the Islamic State has spontaneously emerged, and only in recent years. This is incorrect and has been an element of a deliberate and strategic foreign policy tool a number of decades. Ironically - few countries, outside the Middle East, are as familiar with the cruelty of an 'Islamic Calipahate' as Russia, having battled two civil wars on the territory of the North Caucasus in the 1990s. The bloodshed did not end there, with many a terrorist attack on Russian cities throughout the 2000s, and the despicably cruel hostage crisis on a school in Beslan in 2004.

What is more shocking, however, is that Western media often justifies such actions on behalf of the rebels against civilians, blaming the "Putin regime" for atrocities against them. In this compilation of videos, Putin explains his understanding of the fundamentalist agenda, their funding and their end goal.

The Russian campaign in Syria in 2015 took place on the verge of a 'Caliphate' forming there - the continuation of a very bloody and ongoing struggle against this form of modern day fascism.


Comment: The following video contains a number of very nuanced and thoughtful responses from Putin on the subject of terror attacks against Russia. If more Westerners understood how much energy and attention Russia has and does put towards truly and effectively fighting terrorism - and in such a measured way as they do, Westerners would have a whole different appreciation of how negligent and complicit many of their own governments are in maintaining a hell on earth. A good comparison between Russia and the US/UK/France/Germany, etc. simply cannot be allowed.