On Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were some of the first in the nation to learn of a security alert issued by both the US and British embassies in Moscow, Russia, warning that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in the capital, to include concerts. Both embassies have warned their citizens to avoid large gatherings over the the weekend and to "be aware of your surroundings.”
The warning came after Russia’s internal security service known as the FSB (the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB) carried out a raid on a cell of Islamic State militants operating in Russia’s Kaluga region located southwest of Moscow. The FSB reported the cell was plotting to massacre Jewish worshipers at an unspecified synagogue in the capital.
Russian media carried video from the raid showing dead bodies alongside guns, ammunition, knives, and components for improvised explosive devices. Russian officials said the attack was being planned by the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K. Earlier this month, the FSB said it carried out a similar raid on suspected ISIS fighters in the Muslim-majority region of the Caucuses, killing six.
Several other nations have subsequently warned their citizens of the same threat. Latvia urged its citizens to leave Russia as soon as possible. Estonia has asked its citizens to "be more attentive than usual" and to avoid public gatherings "due to the threat of terrorism."
The German Foreign Ministry warned their citizens against visiting border regions, of possible attacks on public transportation, as well as possible drone attacks on Moscow and its surrounding regions.
HOW MANY AMERICANS ARE STILL IN RUSSIA?
Readers may be asking how many Americans are still in Russia after all of the sanctions, State Dept travel warnings, threats, etc.. The answer: Quite a few. A report published this week by Fortune Magazine lists more than 300 U.S. companies still operating in Russia, with those businesses contributing than $751 million in profit taxes to the Russian government in 2022 alone.
Do you think Russia wants those businesses to leave? No, but the U.S. government does. Just two weeks ago, the State Dept. published a report outlining the serious legal, financial, and reputational risks associated with continuing to do business in the Russia Federation and in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine.
There are also a variety of key government-to-government collaborations which are not easily set aside as a result of the increasing tensions. For example, last Sunday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying three NASA astronauts and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin on a flight to the Int'l Space Station. On March 21st, Soyuz mission MS-25 will launch from Baikonur in Kazakhstan with American astronaut Tracy Dyson among the crew of four. This collaboration alone requires dozens of Americans to be in-country between the management presence at the U.S. Embassy, as well as support personnel for launch and recovery operations.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the overall domestic and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages and email, of breaking incidents of national significance, as well as any new alerts, warnings or advisories impacting the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant. |
