The FSB allegedly floods Europe with its agents under the guise of Chechen refugees: what we learned from the film ZDF

The FSB sends its agents to Europe under the guise of Chechen refugees, is affirmed in the film by German journalists, which was aired on February 8 on the German Channel ZDF. The purpose of the “operation” is to monitor the Chechen communities in Europe and participate in the “Propaganda War of the Kremlin”, a former senior employee of the department told reporters. "Medusa" watched the ZDF investigation and tells what it is said.

ZDF received all the information from a former FSB officer . In the special services "Igor" (the real name of the informant in the film is not revealed) worked for almost 20 years and became one of the 50 most important leaders of the department; Under the start, 50 employees and 400 agents worked. The name of the unit where Igor was busy unknown; The authors of the film only mention that their informant worked in the Niba -Nibai building, a military facility on Vernadsky Avenue in Moscow. As evidence of the work in the FSB, the informant provided reporters with his service certificate, photographs with awards, as well as group photographs with colleagues (one of them can be considered the former director of the department Nikolai Patrushev).

“Igor” explained that he was guided by “deeply personal” reasons, revealing the secrets of the FSB to journalists. In one of the episodes of the film, he says that he repeatedly violated the law working in a special service, but at first such methods did not cause him a rejection. Only when his department took up the capture of the opposition, “Igor” began to ask himself questions about how justified his activity was. Disappointed in the service, he fled from Russia to Europe and went to ZDF journalists.

"Refugees" from Chechnya in Europe is the central theme of the film . According to Igor, the FSB sent a large number of its “sleeping agents” to Europe under the guise of “refugees” from Chechnya. They work in almost all major cities where there are Muslim communities - in Hamburg, London, Brussels and Paris. Three tasks are set for agents: to monitor citizens sharing protest moods; identify radical Islamists; Participate in the "Propaganda War of the Kremlin in Europe."

The Igor unit was allegedly engaged in the factory of documents necessary to obtain a refugee status in European countries: court sentences and other evidence of persecution for political reasons. With their help, the Chechens argued that in Russia they were in danger and received the right to permanent stay in Europe. After that, during the year they were prohibited by contacts (apparently, we are talking about contacts with curators in Russia, but it is not said in the film by direct text in the film); During this time, people had to settle in a new place, make useful ties and start visiting local mosques. Russian special services even allegedly gave their agents money intended for donations in mosques. According to Igor, the Sleeping Agents of the FSB should be sought among Chechen refugees who are fond of sambo, judo and other martial arts.

“Refugees” are supposedly friends of Ramzan Kadyrov. The authors of the film pay attention to the fact that some “refugees”, according to the official version hidden from persecution at home, continue to travel to Russia, support the leader of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and are even ready to go out for rallies in European cities-such behavior is atypical for people who left for Europe because of their danger.

One of these examples is the former boxer and chairman of the Chechen Cultural Union in the German city Kil Timur Dugazaev. In January 2016, he entered the pro -Russian rally in Hamburg, whose participants called Kadyrov “pride in Russia” and gave interviews to the LifeNews channel.

Dugazaev received refugee status in 2002; Despite this, he continues to travel to Russia and met with Kadyrov repeatedly. When asked by ZDF journalist about how he can explain this contradiction, Dugazaev replied that those who want to get asylum in Germany should talk about problems with the law in Russia. He also confirmed that he was watching the Chechens who come to the keel mosque, and tries to follow the way they hold their eyes. He transmits information about this directly to Kadyrov. “We do not need special services. I have direct contact with the Chechen president, ”says Dugazaev.

Russia allegedly used refugees for pressure on Finland. Igor advised JDF reporters to study Finnish experience - supposedly Russia has long been using such methods for pressure on Helsinki. The official representative of the Finnish government, Marcu Mantiel, said that the crisis with refugees on the Russian-Finnish border in 2015 seemed to the Finnish authorities a planned operation-then the refugees suddenly began to massively cross the border of two countries on bicycles and old cars. “People who have appeared in two border posts have previously lived in Russia for several years. Suddenly they demanded to leave the country. They were deported, and they came to Finland, ”he said. According to Igor, the migrants who wanted to cross the country's border was to follow the FSB; Moreover, the department was supposed to allow their movement.

The border for migrants was again closed after the president of Finland arrived in Russia on an official visit in 2016. He complained about increased migration flows and asked to take control of the border. The migration crisis on the Russian-Finnish border was permitted within 48 hours-and only one decree of Vladimir Putin was enough for this, Mantiem said. “If you can 100% prove that this stream of migrants in the north was organized by the Russian authorities, this can be called blackmail,” he says.

The story "Igor" requires serious evidence. ZDF journalists claim that they met with their informant several times. In total, they communicated for 15 hours, but only those statements were included in the film that managed to confirm with the help of independent sources.

Despite this, the evidence base of the film seems weak. The authors of the investigation managed to find only indirect confirmation that the FSB can control the flows of “refugees”, and that the Chechens living in Europe maintain ties with Russia and Kadyrov. However, journalists could not find significant evidence that we are talking about a planned operation with the participation of the FSB and the Chechen authorities aimed at "destabilizing the situation in Europe."

Olga Kuzmenkova