Putin: "61 crimes have been prevented, including 32 terrorist attacks"

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that 32 terrorist attacks have been thwarted in Russia this year, the vast majority of which were nipped in the bud, and he called for more aggressive and effective action against terrorism.

The Russian head of state said in a video statement on the occasion of the Security Agency Worker Day, “At present, there is a challenging international situation. The nature and scale of current challenges and risks make higher demands on the work of special services.”

"First of all, a tough and uncompromising fight against terrorism is your main, priority task," the Russian President said addressing security services. "Over an 11 month-period this year, 61 crimes have been prevented, including 32 terrorist attacks, thanks to your effectiveness and coordination. This is a good result, but there are still many issues," he continued to say.

Putin revealed that over the past eleven years, “more than 200 terrorist attacks have been foiled, the number of terrorist crimes has decreased dramatically over this period."

The Russian President stressed that the fight against terrorism should be tough and uncompromising, highlighting that huge success was achieved in the past few years in counter-terrorism.

He confirmed that extremism constitutes a direct threat to Russia's unity and stressed the need to strictly suppress any manifestation of xenophobia and social and religious hostility.

A recount of some attacks

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had announced on September 30 the arrest of the leader of a neo-Nazi group who was plotting a terror attack using an improvised explosive device in Vladivostok, in Russia's far east.

On October 22, the Russian security arrested an ISIS member who was planning to carry out a terrorist attack targeting transport infrastructure facilities in the Stavropol Territory.

In June, the Russian Federal Security Service announced that it had thwarted an attack in Vladikavkaz plotted by an ISIS member, after which he planned to head to the Middle East to join ISIS terrorists.

FSB also announced in March the arrest of a Russian citizen in Kaliningrad planning a terrorist attack aimed at a power generation facility.