Russia's FSB Recruits ISIS Fighters To Fight In Ukraine: Report

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) is now trying to recruit former fighters for the Islamic State (ISIS) to join Moscow's ranks in the war in Ukraine, according to a report.

Karim, a Dagestani man who claimed he previously fought with ISIS, said he was contacted by the FSB after he was released from a Russian prison in 2019. He noted that he was afraid of the consequences should he refuse the officer's offer, so he chose to meet the agent numerous times in Moscow in cafes and public areas near an FSB office. However, he said he refused to give any information to the officer during their interactions.

"I didn't want to commit kufr. It would have been unacceptable to help an FSB agent against a person of faith," Karim told the independent news website Meduza, which reported the FSB's attempted recruitment.

Karim later said he left Russia after the FSB officer began demanding that he disclose what he knew about people from the Caucasus Emirate, a jihadist organization active in rebel-held parts of Syria, as well as people from ISIS "sleeper cells."

Another person the FSB attempted to recruit was Valid, a Caucasus Emirate fighter, who was being held in a Russian prison when he was found by the agency. At the time, the FSB expressed its interest in hiring him to act as a lone agent conducting reconnaissance operations in Ukraine, the outlet reported, citing terrorism expert Vera Mironova who said she received a letter from Valid.

"The FSB had their own plans for me," he wrote to Mironova. "Dirty work: taking out whoever's necessary, conducting reconnaissance. Ukraine was top of the agenda."

In the letter, Valid also said that he was approached by the KGB. However, he claimed he declined the FSB's offer to join Russia's war in Ukraine. It is unclear what happened to Valid. Mironova noted that he had stopped responding after.

The outlet noted that a source close to the FSB confirmed that they are actively looking to plant undercover agents in Ukraine. However, the source said most of their attempts fails due to problems with the operatives.