Russia's Spetsnaz and Islamic Terrorism
http://globalpolitician.com/articles.asp?ID=270&t=Russia%92s+Spetsnaz+an
d+Islamic+Terrorism
12/30/2004

By Ryan Mauro 
There is no doubt that the Soviet Union played a tremendous role in the
expansion and evolution of Islamic terrorism. Many of the people
responsible for the policy of promoting fundamentalist miliancy still
hold key positions in Russia. People can accept the fact that there are
"anti-Bush" cliques inside the CIA and State Department, and the fact
that there are "pro-Bin Laden" cliques in the Pakistani military ISI.
Yet, for some strange reason, they cannot accept the fact that there are
still "pro-Marxist" cliques inside Russia. I believe that the Russian
Mafia operates in unison with these "rogue" elements, almost as a
separate intelligence directorate. 

To help our readers understand how this clique works, and what it means
today, I am posting a series of important quotes from the book,
"Spetsnaz" by the defector, Viktor Suvorov. I believe that readers will
have a better understanding of the role Russia's Spetsnaz (elite special
unit of the GRU) played in terrorism and how it continues to support
terrorism by operating through the mafia or in the security services
themselves.

Quotes From "Spetsnaz" by Viktor Suvorov

"...Soviet secret police, the KGB, carries out different functions (than
the Spetsnaz) and has other priorities. It has its own terrorist
apparatus, which includes an organization very similar to spetsnaz,
known as osnaz. The KGB uses osnaz for carrying out a range of tasks not
dissimilar to those performed by the GRU's spetsnaz. But the Soviet
leaders consider that it is best not to have any monopolies in the field
of secret warfare. Competition, they feel, gives far better results than
ration."

"...Osnaz apparently came into being practically at the same time as the
Communist dictatorship. In the very first moments of the existence of
the Soviet regime, we find references to detachments osobogo
nazhacheniya-special purpose detachments. Osnaz means military-terrorist
units, which came into being as shock troops of the Communist Party
whose job was to defend the party. Osnaz was later handed over to the
secret police, which changed its own name from time to time as easily as
a snake changes its skins: Cheka-Vcheka-OGPU-NKVD-NKGB-MGB-MVD-KGB. Once
a snake, however, always a snake."

"It is the fact that Spetsnaz belongs to the army, and Osnaz to the
secret police, that accounts for all the differences between them.
Spetsnaz operates mainly against external enemies; Osnaz does the same
but mainly in its own territory and against its own citizens. Even if
both Spetsnaz and Osnaz are faced with carrying out one and the same
operation, the Soviet leadership is not inclined to rely so much on
co-operation between the army and the secret police as on the strong
competitive instincts between them."

"...Thus if it is relatively easy to recruit a man to act as a
'sleeper', what about recruiting a foreigner to act as a real terrorist,
prepared to commit murder, use explosives and fire buildings? Surely
that is much more difficult? The answer is that, surprisingly, it is
not."

"A Spetsnaz officer out to recruit agents for direct terrorist action
has a wonderful base for his work in the West. There are a tremendous
number of people who are discontented and ready to protest against
absolutely anything. And while millions protest peacefully, some
individuals will resort to any means to make their protest. The spetsnaz
officer has only to find the malcontent who is ready to go to extremes."

"On another occasion a group of animal rights activists in the UK
injected bars of chocolate with poison. If spetsnaz were able to contact
that group, and there is every chance it might, it would be extremely
keen (without, of course, mentioning its name) to suggest to them a
number of even more effective ways of protesting. Activists, radicals,
peace campaigners, green party members: as far as the leaders of the GRU
are concerned, these are like ripe water-melons, green on the outside,
but red on the inside-and mouth-watering. So there is a good base for
recruiting."

"The spetsnaz network of agents has much in common with international
terrorism, a common center, for example-yet they are different things
and must not be confused. It would be foolhardy to claim that
international terrorism came into being on orders from Moscow. But to
claim that, without Moscow's support, international terrorism would
never have assumed the scale it has would not be rash. Terrorism has
been born in a variety of situations, in various circumstances and in
different kinds of soil. Local nationalism has always been a potent
source, and the Soviet Union supports it in any form, just as it offers
concrete support to extremist groups operating within nationalist
movements. Exceptions are made, of course, of the nationalist groups
within the Soviet Union and the countries under its influence."

"If groups of extremists emerge in areas where there is no sure Soviet
influence, you may be sure that the Soviet Union will very shortly be
their best friend. In the GRU alone there are two independent and very
powerful bodies dealing with questions relating to extremists and
terrorists."

"...The GRU's tactics toward terrorists are simple: never give them any
orders, never tell them what to do. They are destroying Western
civilization: they know how to do it, the argument goes, so let them get
on with it unfettered by petty supervision. Among them there are
idealists ready to die for their own ideas. So let them die for them.
The most important thing is to preserve their illusion that they are
completely free and independent."

"Although the vast majority of spetsnaz is made up of Slavonic
personnel, there are some exceptions...And spetsnaz contains Turks,
Kurds, Greeks, Koreans, Mongolians, Finns and people of other
nationalities."

"The Soviet Union condemns the civil war in Lebanon. But there is no
need for it to condemn the war. All it has to do is hold back the next
transportation of ammunition and war will cease."

"Apart from military and financial support, the Soviet Union also
provides the terrorists aid in the form of training. Training centers
have been set up in the Soviet Union for training terrorists from a
number of different countries."

"Every terrorist is studied carefully during his training, and among
them will be noted the potential leaders and the born rebels who will
not submit to any authority...Of equal importance are the students'
weaknesses and ambitions, and their relationships with one another. Some
time, many years ahead, one of them may become an important leader, but
not one approved by Moscow, so it is vital to know in advance who his
likely friends and enemies will be."

"The reward for the GRU is that a terrorist doing work for spetsnaz does
not, in the great majority of cases, suspect he is being used. He is
utterly convinced that he is acting independently, of his own will and
by his own choice. The GRU does not leave its signature or his
fingerprints around."

"Even in cases where it is not a question of individual terrorists but
of experienced leaders of terrorist organizations, the GRU takes
extraordinary steps to ensure that not only all outsiders but even the
terrorist leader himself should not realize the extent of his
subordination to spetsnaz and consequently to the GRU."

"The overture is a series of large and small operations the purpose of
which is, before actual military operations begin, to weaken the enemy's
morale, create an atmosphere of general suspicion, fear and uncertainty,
and divert the attention of the enemy's armies and police forces to a
huge number of different targets, each of which may be the object of the
next attack."

"The overture is carried by agents of the secret services of the Soviet
satellite countries and by mercenaries recruited by intermediaries. The
principal method employed at this stage is "gray terror", that is, a
kind of terror which is not conducted in the name of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet secret services do not at this stage leave their visiting
cards, or leave other people's cards. The terror is carried out in the
name of already existing extremist groups not connected in any way with
the Soviet Union, or in the name of the fictitious organizations. The
GRU reckons that in this period its operations should be regarded as
natural disasters, actions by forces beyond human control, mistakes by
people, or as terrorist acts by organizations not connected with the
Soviet Union."

"The terrorist acts carried out in the course of the 'overture' require
very few people, very few weapons and little equipment. In some cases
all that may be needed is one man who has a weapon nothing more than a
screwdriver, a box of marches or a glass ampoule. Some of the operations
can have catastrophic consequences. For example, an epidemic of an
infectious disease at seven of the most important naval bases in the
West could have the effect of halving the combined naval might of the
Soviet Union's enemies."

"There is a marked increase in the strength of the peace movement. In
many countries there are continual demand to make the country neutral
and not to support American foreign policy, which has been discredited.
At this point the 'gray terror' gathers scope and strength and in the
last days of peace reaches its peak."

Ryan Mauro has been a geopolitical analyst for Tactical Defense Concepts
(www.tdconcepts.com), a maritime-associated security company, since
2002. In 2003, Mr. Mauro joined the Northeast Intelligence Network
(www.homelandsecurityus.com), which specializes in tracking and
assessing terrorist threats. He has been published in WorldNetDaily.com,
Newsmax.com, StrategyPage.com, WorldTribune.com, HomelandSecurityUS.com,
JRNyquist.com and in the Turkistan Newsletter (Turkistan Bulteni). He is
a frequent writer for Milnet.com as well. He has appeared on radio shows
including The Al Rantel Show, WIBG Radio, WorldNetDaily Radioactive with
Joseph Farah, Jeff Nyquist Program, Kevin McCullough Show, Laurie Roth
Show, Tovia Singer Show, Stan Major Show, and Preparedness Now. His book
"Death to America: The Unreported Battle of Iraq" is scheduled to be
published in the coming months.



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