Repercussions of a Moscow Attack and ISIS-GK’s Global Footprint

The claim was clear and concise. “The Islamic State militants attacked a large gathering of Christians in Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow, killing and injuring hundreds and causing extensive damage before retreating safely,” states the first press release issued by the organization. While the exact branch responsible remains unknown among several ISIS factions, all suspicion points to the Islamic State of Greater Khorasan (IS-GK), a faction founded in 2014 and linked to multiple attacks in Afghanistan, composed of fighters from former Soviet republics in Central Asia who predominantly speak Russian. As Moscow’s intelligence services tried to connect the Ukrainian government to the group behind the attack, Kyiv authorities and the Russian opposition reminded the world of the broad history of terrorist attacks, whether self-inflicted or tolerated, on Russian soil during Putin’s rule to gain political advantage both domestically and abroad.