Islamic State Activities in Ukraine

On March 2024, the Crocus City Hall in Moscow was attacked by jihadists belonging to the Islamic State. Three months later, the jihadists carried out another attack against police stations, synagogues and orthodox churches in Dagestan. Some in the Russian government were quick to blame Ukraine, suggesting a kind of collaboration between the government of that country and ISIS. Although things might not be quite as they paint it, the Islamic State has used Ukraine to carry out their activities. This article will cover what those activities have been and what did the subsequent Ukrainian governments have done to counter them.

The ISIS activities in Ukraine could be traced back to the early stages of the war in Syria, coinciding with the Maidan, and the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In 2015, there was one ISIS fighter per million people in Ukraine.

Perhaps, some cities are attractive to ISIS fighters because they are attractive to Muslims in general. Some have settled in Bila Tserkva. That village has been attractive to foreigners in general, including Muslims. Bila Tserkva is 85 km south of Kyiv, it has a low cost of living, and is a quiet place. Also, the Maidan in 2014 made it attractive for transporting jihadists because Ukrainian authorities wouldn’t pay attention to their activities. Other routes were closed to them, but Ukraine at least until 2020 was still open. The Ukrainian government doesn’t have arresting ISIS members in its territory as a priority. In part because of the confrontation with Russia, and because its an atypical threat to Ukraine. Returning from Syria is not a crime. There is a large community of Muslims, and tolerance. They prefer to settle in western Ukraine, because there the Russian secret services cannot reach them.

Bila Tserkva. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Muslims in Ukraine come from different backgrounds, but most speak Russian. That doesn’t attract attention. Corruption also makes it attractive, because it makes it easy to obtain forged documents. Ukraine’s leaking borders are also a pull factor for Islamic State fighters. The country has weak public institutions. Ukraine does not extradite foreigners to their home countries. It also has weak systems of external protection, and vulnerable internal affairs. There are no strong antiterror laws. The war has compromised border security. Local security services are unprofessional. The current conflict has allowed foreigners to obtain Ukrainian passports. That’s attractive for jihadists that aim to enter Europe. The refugee current for from the war stricken country is attractive to ISIS members.

The Islamic State has used Ukrainian territory for recruiting, for its security apparatus and planning attacks. Ukraine has also been also an important transit point from and to Syria. The group has used the country as a logistical base, as well as for material support. The SBU (Ukrainian Intelligence Services) identified eleven crossing points in Kyiv and Kharkiv. German authorities reported that the Islamic State has used Ukrainian territory to cross into Europe and carry out attacks. In December 2023, German authorities arrested Central Asians linked to ISIS who aimed to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe. They had crossed from Ukraine. There was a previous plot in July, with Central Asians crossing into Germany and the Netherlands from Ukraine after the beginning of the war. They were in contact with the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.

The group has used it as a recreational center, and not for the fight in its territory. ISIS considers Ukraine as a temporary hideout and a sanctuary to flee from persecution. Also as a place where they can obtain weapons, explosives, fake documents, and transport people. The group has made efforts to create safe networks in Ukraine to enable their movements.

Ukraine has collaborated with other countries to detain senior Islamic State militants. For example, in November 2019, Caesar Tokhosashvili was arrested in a joint operation by Ukrainian, American and Georgian intelligence services. He was the Deputy Minister of War of the Islamic State, coming second to Abu Omar al-Shishani. He was thought dead in 2017 in Deir Ezzor, Syria. He recruited, worked for the Amni (Islamic State security apparatus), and planned attacks. The SBU has been arresting former foreign fighters and not allowing others into the country. Ukraine arrested in 2016 two fighters from Syria that wanted to cross into western Europe and carry out attacks. Their cell was uncovered in Kharkiv. In 2021, it detained a female ISIS member in Kyiv who recruited for Syria.

Caesar Tokhosashvili, liteunant of Abu Omar al-Shishani. Source: X.

Ukraine has been disrupting transit operations and prosecuting those who carry them out. On July 2020 two Azeri citizens were sentenced to ten years and three months in Kharkiv. They were transporting Caucasian and Central Asian jihadists to Turkey, from where they would go to the battlefields in Iraq and Syria. They constantly coordinated their actions with ISIS leaders in Syria. The same year, a deputy to Istanbul airport attack mastermind, Akhmed Chatayev, was detained in Kyiv. On October 12, 2024, Ukrainian authorities arrested a Central Asian ISIS jihadi that was wanted since 2017. He was facilitating the transfer of jihadis to Syria and making efforts to legalize some others in Ukraine. He also wanted to create a safe network for extremists to enable their movements. He had arrived in Ukraine with a foreign passport and false identity before the 2022 invasion.

Conclusions

The activities of the Islamic State in Ukraine could be traced back to the Maidan, and the beginning of the first part of the war, as well as the early stages of the war in Syria.

There are several factors that attract ISIS fighters to Ukraine. These include the instability; the tolerance to Muslims; some villages are quiet; the fact that they are not actively pursued; the focus of Ukraine on its war with Russia; no extradition; low border security; no penalty for going for returning from Syria; no antiterror laws; corruption; the fake passport business; the refugee current; been out of reach of Russian intelligence services; and its position, from where it can go into Western Europe.

ISIS has used Ukraine mainly as a logistical base. Also to gather explosives and weapons. The Islamic State has also used Ukraine as a bridge to Europe, Syria, and Iraq. ISIS also sees Ukraine as a shelter and even recreational place. It has also benefited from the fake document business there. The terror group has sought shelter to flee from persecution by other governments.

Ukraine has collaborated with other intelligence agencies to arrest ISIS members, including top leaders. The SBU has arrested former foreign fighters and prevented others from crossing. Kyiv has dismantled cells and prosecuted those who transport jihadists.