Disrupting Escalation Of Terror In Russia To Prevent - Belfer Center ...

efrigeration warehouses could, under certain conditions, be turned into “weapons of mass
destruction.” 45
2. Messianic and Totalitarian Sects
Another threat is posed by religious messianic and totalitarian sects operating outside of the
North Caucasus. On the surface, this threat currently appears far less robust than the menace of
Islamist extremists in and around Chechnya. However, we should not underestimate the long-
term destructive potential of messianic sects. Russian law enforcement agencies and other
government agencies by running checks on their finances and paperwork and creating other
hurdles with tacit encouragement of those religious organizations that have traditionally been
dominant in Russia. These are the Russian Orthodox Church and the Sunni branch of Islam,
which are strongly opposed to the emergence of new religious groups and organizations.
The demise of the Soviet Union left an ideological vacuum, with religious groups that
were well established in pre-revolutionary Russia (such as the Russian Orthodox Church and
Islam) but were suppressed under the Soviet regime. As a result, not only did various “benign”
traditional religious groups begin to reclaim believers in the post-Soviet era, but also a number of
what the authorities have branded as “sects” or “cults,” groups seeking to establish new religions,
began to scout for new recruits in Russia and other Soviet republics.
Russian government and Orthodox Church experts estimated that there were anywhere
between 300 and 500 “sects” operating in Russia as of 2003. 46 In addition, there were up to one
million followers of sects and other “non-traditional” religious organizations in Russia, with 70
45
“Terrorism in the Metropolis: Assessing Threats and Protecting Critical Infrastructure,” PIR Center, Moscow,
2003.
46
Roundtable discussion, “Totalitarian Sects—Weapons of Mass Destruction. Program of Disarmament,” held in
the Central House of Journalists in Moscow in October 2003 and organized by the Russian Orthodox Church’s
Center for Religious Studies. (Where specifically—what organization was the sponsor?)
20