Foreign Terrorist Fighters from Russia in and after Syria and Iraq: (Trans) National Trends and Threats

Abstract

Abstract Despite the large number of foreign terrorist fighters from Russia in Syria and Iraq, the specifics of this phenomenon are often reduced to the Northern Caucasian connection. The article suggests a differentiated assessment of types and scale of threat posed by ISIS-linked FTFs in the Russian, Eurasian and broader international contexts, relying on data-based analysis of the main trends in the dynamic process of their circulation. They include changing composition of the FTF outflow, by type of domestic radicalization, low return rate, and high potential for relocation to third countries. The article challenges conventional views on correlation of threats posed by returnees and relocated FTFs, the main domestic challenge linked to Russian FTFs, the intra-Eurasian circulation of the FTFs, the risk of their concentration in northern Afghanistan, and potential for their cross-regional circulation between Eurasia, Middle East and Europe.