Russian Navy Fires Cruise Missiles At The Islamic State From The Mediterranean

RT: Russian frigate & submarine fire 4 cruise missiles at ISIS targets near Palmyra – MoD

The missiles destroyed heavy equipment and killed fighters that Islamic State had transferred from its stronghold, Raqqa, to Palmyra, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

The Russian warships, a frigate named Admiral Essen and submarine named Krasnodar, fired Kalibr cruise missiles on combat vehicles and militants outside the Syrian city of Palmyra, the Defense Ministry said.

The four cruise missiles were fired from the eastern Mediterranean, it noted in a statement. The submarine fired its missiles while submerged.

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More News On Today's Russian Navy Cruise Missiles Attack Against The Islamic State In Syria

Russian cruise missiles hit terrorist targets near Palmyra -- TASS
Russian Navy Launches Cruise Missiles From Sub on Daesh Targets Near Palmyra -- Sputnik
Russia fires cruise missiles at ISIL targets in Syria -- Al Jazeera
Russia fires cruise missiles at IS targets in Syria -- BBC
Russia fires cruise missiles, targets IS positions in Syria -- AP
Russian warship, sub fire cruise missiles at IS in Syria: Moscow -- AFP
Russia fires underwater missiles at Islamic State in Palmyra, Syria -- UPI
Russian warships fire cruise missiles at Islamic State positions in Syria -- FOX news
Why Russia Unleashed Kalibr Cruise Missiles on Daesh in Palmyra -- Sputnik

Islamic State`s Top Leader In The Caucasus Killed In Russian Special Force`s Raid

The new leader of IS's Caucasus branch, Rustam Aselderov aka Abu Mukhammad Kadarsky

RT: Head of ISIS ‘branch’ in Russia’s N. Caucasus killed in special police op – FSB

A Dagestan-based militant leader who swore allegiance to Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL), was picked as “emir” by IS chief al-Baghdadi and was linked to terrorist acts in Russia’s Volgograd, has been eliminated, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

“Rustan Magomedovich Aselderov (Abu Muhammad), born in 1981, the leader of the Vilayat Kavkaz section of the Islamic State international terrorist group, was among the militants eliminated alongside four of his close associates,” the FSB said in a statement.

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More News On Islamic State`s Top Leader In The Caucasus Killed In A Russian Special Force`s Raid

Russia: Islamic State Leader, 4 Other Jihadists Killed in North Caucasus -- VOA
Russia says it has killed Islamic State 'emir' in North Caucasus -- The Guardian/AFP
Russia Says North Caucasus IS Leader Killed In Daghestan Raid -- RFE
Suspected warlord killed in Russia's Dagestan -- AP
Russian forces kill ISIS affiliate cell leader in Dagestan -- CNN
IS leader 'killed' by Russian security services in North Caucasus -- SKY News
ISIS North Caucasus group leader killed by Russian security forces -- International Business Times

Russia’s Long-Range Bombers Have Started To Hit Islamic State Targets In Syria

RT: Long-range bombers to fly anti-ISIS missions from Russia, Putin orders Navy to work with France

Russia has deployed its fleet of strategic bombers to double the volume of airstrikes on Islamist targets in Syria, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has announced. Vladimir Putin has ordered a cruiser to coordinate operations with French naval forces in the Mediterranean.

“We are conducting a mass airstrike campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria. We have now doubled the number of sorties, which is allowing us to conduct operations throughout the length and breadth of the country,” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during a Security Council meeting in Moscow chaired by the Russian president.

Shoigu said that Russia’s Tu-95, Tu-22 and Tu-160 strategic bombers have been brought into the operation, while the Air Force command added that the strike group has been bolstered with 37 new planes, including Su-34 bombers and Su-27 fighter jets.

Update #1: Russia involves strategic missile carriers in operation against Islamic State in Syria -- TASS
Update #2: Russia Launches Airstrikes Against Islamic State’s Syrian Stronghold -- WSJ

WNU Editor: Russia has also launched cruise missiles at Islamic State targets in Raqaa, Syria.... Russia launches cruise missiles at Isis stronghold of Raqqa in Syria (The Independent)

New Islamic State Video Threatens 'Blood Will Spill' In Russia

Reuters: IS video threatens attacks in Russia

Islamic State has released a video threatening attacks in Russia "very soon" in revenge for Russian bombing in Syria, the SITE monitoring group said on Thursday, and the Kremlin said Russian state security services would study the material.

Al-Hayat Media Center, the militant group's foreign language media division, released a video in Russian with chants of "Soon, very soon, the blood will spill like an ocean", SITE reported.

Islamic State has previously called for attacks on Russia and the United States in revenge for strikes by their warplanes on its fighters in Syria.

Western intelligence officials suspect the ultra-hardline Sunni group of planting a bomb in a Russian passenger plane which crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31, killing all 224 passengers and crew.

More News On The Islamic State Threatening Russia In its Newest Video

ISIS Pledges Attacks on Russia 'Very Soon' -- Moscow Times
ISIS releases chilling video threatening to attack Russia 'very soon' and 'make their wives concubines' two weeks after claiming to have bombed one of its jets -- Daily Mail
New ISIS Video: Islamic State Says 'Blood Will Spill' In Russia In New Propaganda Campaign -- IBTimes
Monitoring Group: IS Threatens Attacks in Russia -- VOA
Report: Islamic State Warns of Attacks in Russia ‘Very Soon’ -- Washington Free Beacon
ISIS vows to ENSLAVE Russian women and children in revenge for Putin's bombing campaign -- Express
Kremlin says Russia to look into Islamic State video that threatens attacks in Russia -- Reuters

Russia Sending Arms To The Kurds Battling The Islamic State

Rudaw: Lavrov: Russia sending arms to KRG via Baghdad

UNITED NATIONS - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday his country has been coordinating with the Kurdish forces battling Islamic State militants in Iraq and has been sending arms to them through the central government in Baghdad.

Lavrov said a joint information center has been set up in Baghdad for cooperation between regional countries taking part in the war against ISIS, as the Islamic State is known.

“Military representatives from Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia and the Kurdish government are with this information center which we established in Baghdad,” Lavrov told Rudaw at a press conference at the United Nations.

WNU Editor: The Kurds have been waiting forever to receive weapons and arms from the U.S. .... but with Russia now becoming involved the old rules and policies that the U.S. has been operating under have just been thrown out the window. This also explains why the Iraqi Kurdish leader is now strongly urging Russia and the U.S. to coordinate their anti-IS fight .... Iraqi Kurdish leader urges Russia, U.S. to coordinate in anti-IS fight (Reuters) .... because of this military assistance he now sees Russia as an ally.

These Are The Weapons That The Islamic State Will Use Against Russia

Image: Wikimedia Commons/Alex Beltyukov

Robert Farley, National Interest: 5 ISIS Weapons of War Russia Should Fear in Syria

ISIS has the potential to hurt Russia in a way that it could never hurt the United States...

Reports out of Syria indicate that Russian fighter-bombers have begun airstrikes on rebel positions. However, the extent of Russian commitment remains unclear. At the very least, we can expect that the troops and aircraft will forcefully protect Russian installations in the region. At the maximum, Russia may fight to preserve the Assad regime, and restore its control over parts of Syria.

Either way, Moscow will see pushback. While ISIS hasn’t focused its rhetoric on Moscow, we can expect that the presence of Russian troops in Syria will concentrate the group’s attention. Here are five weapons that ISIS can use against Russia:

WNU Editor: IEDs will be the number one killer of Russian troops .... that is if they go into direct ground combat.

These Are The Weapons That Russia Will Use Against The Islamic State

Image: Wikimedia Commons/Fedor Leukhin

Robert Farley. National Interest: 5 Russian Weapons of War ISIS Should Fear

While the Soviet Union may be no more, Moscow's forces could give the Islamic State a tough time.

As of last week, Russia may have decided to join the fight against ISIS. The deployment of Russian air and ground forces to Syria probably has more to do with the survival of the Assad regime (and by extension, the survival of Russian influence in the Middle East) than it does with stopping the ISIS horror show. Nevertheless, given the threat that ISIS poses to Assad, it seems likely that Russians will come into direct conflict with the armed fighters of the Islamic State.

So, what is Russia sending to Syria, and how might it affect the course of the battle against ISIS?

WNU Editor: The Mi-24 helicopter gunships and the SU-25 will be the weapons that the Islamic State should fear.

Russian Security Service: 2,400 Russian Nationals Fighting For The Islamic State

At least 2,400 Russian nationals are fighting for Isis terror group in Syria, Iraq. (representation pic) Twitter/Iranian Post

IBTimes: Moscow: 2,400 Russian nationals fighting for Isis in Syria, Iraq

Moscow has revealed that it has information of at least 2,400 Russian nationals fighting for the Islamic State (isis) terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

The First Deputy Director of Federal Security, Sergei Smirnov, said on Friday that of the 3,000 Central Asian nationals, at least 2,400 are Russians.

According to the RIA news agency report, Smirnov told journalists that the migrants' issue that is creating a crisis in Europe, poses a potentially "great threat" to Russia.

WNU Editor: It does not take a genius to know that these men are going to be a big security problem when they get back to Russia .... which I expect most of them will eventually do.

More News On Reports That There Are 2,400 Russian Nationals Fighting For Tthe Islamic State

Thousands of Russians Fighting For ISIS, Says Security Service -- Newsweek
Some 2,400 Russians and 3,000 Central Asia citizens fighting for ISIL -- Interfax
Moscow says about 2,400 Russians fighting with Islamic State: RIA -- Reuters
Over 170 Russians fighting for Islamic State killed in Syria — expert -- TASS

Islamic State Claims To Have Launched Their First Attack Against A Russian Military Base In The Caucasus

BBC

IBTimes: Islamic State Group Attacks Russian Military Base In Dagestan Region Of The Northern Caucasus

Islamic State group fighters operating in the North Caucasus region of Russia attacked a Russian military base in the southern Dagestan region Wednesday, according to a tweet from Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst at the risk consultancy firm Levantine Group. The alleged attack in the predominantly Muslim region comes after months of rumors that ISIS was attempting to recruit experienced fighters from the region to fight in Syria and Iraq.

The region has long been courted by ISIS for its close proximity to Europe. In November 2014, the leader of the Caucasus Emirate terror group was ousted from his position when mid-level commanders switched their allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Update: Islamic State’s Caucasus ‘province’ claims first official attack on Russian forces -- Long War Journal

WNU Editor: No official word from the Kremlin .... but I would not be surprised if such an attack had occurred. Fears of the Islamic State branching off into the Caucasus have been voiced by Russian President Putin himself  in the past 6 months .... so it was just a matter of time.

Russian Foreign Minister: Islamic State Is Russia's 'Main Enemy'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow April 7, 2015. Reuters/Maxim Zmeyev

Sputnik: Russia Considers Islamic State Main Enemy - Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister believes the Islamic State is Russia’s only enemy today.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes the Islamic State is Russia’s only enemy today.

"I believe that the Islamic State is the main enemy today, if for only one simple reason: hundreds of Russian citizens, hundreds of European, hundreds of Americans and citizens from the [Commonwealth of Independent States] are fighting in the ranks of the ISIL," Lavrov said during an interview to Russian radio stations Sputnik, Ekho Moskvy, and Govorit Moskva.

More News On Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's Remarks That The Islamic State Is Russia's 'Main Enemy'

Lavrov: Islamic State Is Russia's 'Main Enemy -- Radio Free Europe
ISIS is 'Russia's greatest enemy', not US: Foreign Minister Lavrov -- Straits Times
Russia: Islamic State is Our Greatest Enemy -- Arutz Sheva
Middle East Tensions Pose Threat to Russia’s Interests, Lavrov Says -- Sputnik
Russia arms Iraq, Syria to help combat Islamic State: Lavrov -- Reuters

FSB: The Islamic State Is A Growing Threat In Russia

Photo Credit: Oleg Zabielin | shutterstock.com

Washington Times: Russians say Islamic State infiltrating domestic groups

The jihadi terror group Islamic State has begun “embedding” with Russian domestic terror organizations, including a leading Chechen resistance group, a top Russian intelligence official said Friday.

Russian Federal Security Service Deputy Director Sergei Smirnov made the claim while speaking with reporters at a summit of the Shanghia Cooperation Organization, a regional security alliance, meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
If true, it would be the latest sign that Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, is expanding its reach to other Islam-based terror groups beyond its base in Syria and Iraq.

WNU Editor: For as long as I can remember Islamic radicals have always been a threat in Russia .... this warning from Russia's FSB is nothing new.

More News On Russia's FSB Warning That The Islamic State Is A Growing Threat In Russia

Islamic State threat to Russia is real – FSB -- RT
Russian warns of Islamic State’s influence in Russia -- AP
ISIS begins embedding itself in terrorist organizations working in Russia - FSB -- RBTH
North Caucasus Militant Leaders Pledge Allegiance to Islamic State – FSB -- Sputnik

The Islamic State Is Now Threatening To Go To War Against Russia

'This Message Is Addressed To You, Oh Putin': ISIS Now Threatens Russia Over Its Ties To Syria's Assad And Promises To 'liberate Chechnya And All The Caucasus' -- Daily Mail

* Vladimir Putin was threatened because of close ties to Bashar al-Assad
* In video, ISIS rebel sits in cockpit of captured Russian-made fighter jet
* Second fighter warns Putin that his 'throne is in danger and will collapse'
* Added: 'With permission of Allah we will liberate Chechnya and Caucasus'
* It puts Putin on same side as the West in holding back Muslim extremism
* At same time, Krelim leader remains at loggerheads with U.S. and Europe

Vladimir Putin was today directly and personally threatened by the Islamic State because of his close ties to Syrian leader Bashar Hafez al-Assad.

The chilling warning, delivered by a member of the terror group, puts the Kremlim leader on the same side as the West in holding back Muslim extremism.

But at the same time, he remains at loggerheads with the U.S. and Europe in the worst crisis since the Cold War.

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More News On Reports That The Islamic State Is Now Threatening To Go To War Against Russia

‘Your Throne Is Being Threatened By Us': ISIS Sends Warning To Russia, Putin -- CBS/AP
ISIS threatens to 'liberate' Chechnya and Caucasus -- RT
Isis Tells Vladimir Putin: 'We are Coming to Russia' to 'Free Chechnya' -- IBTimes
IS militants vow to 'de-throne' Putin over Syria support -- AFP

Update: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov responds .... Chechen Leader Promises Destruction in Response to Islamic State Threats Against Russia (RIA Novosti).