Russia's controversial use of torture risks fuelling extremism

Revealing photos of men accused of plotting an attack near Moscow being tortured could prove to be a significant misstep by Russian services. "This will immediately incite various extremists in Muslim regions of Russia. They will say: look what they do to people of our faith," says Lt. Col. Marcin Faliński, a former Intelligence Agency officer, to Wirtualna Polska.

"Fulfilling the suspect's right to one contact, we provided him with a telephone," reads the cynical caption under a video distributed on Telegram, purportedly showing the interrogation of 25-year-old Shamsidin Fariduni. It shows a man with his trousers down, lying on the floor of a gymnasium, with cables reaching to his groin. He is shocked with electricity generated by a coil of a military field phone.

There is also another brutal video. A piece of the right ear of 30-year-old Saidakram Rachabalizodar is cut off during interrogation, and he is ordered to eat it. He is brought to court with a large bloody bandage. Meanwhile, Dalerjon Mirzojew, 32, has signs of severe beating on his face. Around his neck is wrapped a blue plastic bag, a fragment of the blindfold placed over his eyes during transport. 19-year-old Muhammadsobir Fayzov was brought to court in a wheelchair. He was unconscious, and one eye had bulged out of its socket.

Were these photos and videos meant for this purpose? A court ordered the temporary arrest of four men from the ISIS terrorist network, accused of attacking the concert hall in Crokus City Hall near Moscow. Previously, ordinary Russians were to be convinced firsthand that the services do not hold back. The suspects were clearly subjected to torture.

"It's just Russia and quite different standards of service operations. The photos are meant to convince citizens shocked by the attack that the authorities are effective and terrorists pay the price even before the verdict," says Lt. Col. Marcin Faliński, a former officer of the Intelligence Agency and an expert on special services, in a conversation with WP.

"However, the same footage will immediately be circulated by jihadist channels in the Caucasus. There it will have a completely different effect. The message will ignite various extremists in Muslim regions of Russia. They will say: look what they do with people of our faith. Moreover, services of other countries, playing against Russia, may capitalize on these materials," adds Faliński.

He believes that the scenes presented from the court may prove to be a failure for the Kremlin. "Rather, I would show that while awaiting trial, suspects can calmly read the Quran. Otherwise, they will soon become martyred heroes for Muslim radicals in Russia. Contrary to many other theories, the attack may prove Russian weakness centered on the war in Ukraine. It is possible that other terrorist cells will want to exploit this weakness. It has been stated in many studies that the prolonged war in Ukraine will set the Caucasus ablaze," concludes Lt. Col. Marcin Faliński.

On Monday, ISIS threatened Russia with a new terrorist attack, in response to the torture of fighters. Iranian media are spreading a poster with threats against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The text contains a warning of a new terrorist attack – in protest against the torture and interrogation of organisation members.

Meanwhile, Russian media have reported that the attack on the concert hall near Moscow was supported by Ukraine and its services. The reason is that the suspects fled towards the Ukrainian border. As a result of the attack on the Piknik band's concert audience, at least 137 people died. Many concert attendees are still being searched for by their families. This is the largest terrorist attack in Russia in 20 years.

Dr. Wojciech Szewko, a lecturer at the Centre for Terrorism Studies at Collegium Civitas argues that the attack was the work of the Islamic State and nothing more. According to him, the style of operation by the attackers and the political context - Russian military and mercenaries have been fighting ISIS for many years in wars in Syria and Libya. Szewko has published an extensive analysis of the political background of the attack on YouTube.

At least in part, his theory is confirmed by the fact that ISIS media published videos of the massacre in the concert hall near Moscow. The video was recorded from the perspective of a camera worn by Fayzov (the attacker brought to court in a wheelchair). This suggests that ISIS had the most direct contact with the perpetrators. Szewko has published an extensive analysis of the political background of the attack on YouTube.

The terrorist attack was originally planned during concerts by Russian artists Shaman or Grigory Leps in the same hall, but in the days of 8-11 March - according to findings by independent Russian investigative journalists from the WCzK-OGPU service.

The attackers postponed the attack because, during those days, a public warning from the US embassy appeared. The hall was guarded "according to an enhanced regime". The terrorists arrived at the planned crime scene and observed the situation. However, they postponed the execution of their plans to another date. Fariduni's presence is confirmed by surveillance photos, including asking an employee about the exact location of entrances to the building.