Vasyl Krutov
Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of Ukraine,
Lieutenant-general, head of the board of the IAU,
Ph.D. of Justice, professor

International Terrorism and Other Factors of Terrorist Presence in Ukraine. Measures of Systematic Counteraction.

Dear participants of the forum, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen!

Let me on behalf of the State Security Service of Ukraine welcome you and express my boundless confidence that today’s exchange of opinions about terrorism counteraction issues will give further stimulus for consolidation of efforts in this direction.

Using intensification of integration processes in the world, development of free markets, extension of political, economic and cultural links between states ideologists of terrorism try to strike unexpectedly aiming at publicly established social values and principles. Increase of the number, scale and brutality of committed terrorist attacks require from all countries and special forces and law-enforcement organizations constant alert and readiness to respond to any act of terrorism threatening the world community including Ukraine.

Defining the ways and forms of counteraction to terrorism, first of all, we rely on deep analysis of this phenomenon in the world, step-by-step solution of the issue about development and implementation of the national terrorism prevention system.

Fro the time being Ukraine fulfilling commitments assumed according to the Statute of the United Nations Organization and numerous other documents partakes in all international conventions and protocols regulating different aspects of the fight against terrorism.

To meet the demands of the resolutions passed by the UN Security Council Ukrainian parliament considering terrorism as a socially hazardous activity based on the ideology of deliberate and purposeful violence has passed a law “About fight against terrorism” according to which the State Security Service of Ukraine is the main institution in the national antiterrorism system. Coordination activities of various state institutions participating in terrorism prevention are carried out by Antiterrorism Center of the State Security Service of Ukraine. Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine defines criminal responsibility not only for committing terrorist act but also for providing assistance in organization and conducting terrorism activities.

Recent events, broadening of political, economic and cultural ties of Ukraine with other countries together with large-scale antiterrorism operations of member-states of the Antiterrorism coalition were accompanied by emergence of supporters of international terrorism and extremism organizations in Ukraine. These trends create prerequisites to threats both to national security of Ukraine and international security of the world community.

In this relation efforts made by the State Security Service of Ukraine are directed on detection and prevention of terrorism threats. These activities include intelligence, investigation and search procedures designed to counteract to mercenary practices, illegal traffic of armaments and explosives, illegal migration, drugs trafficking and other factors promoting terrorism.

There are no international terrorism structures functioning in Ukraine. At the same time we point out existence of separate advocates of terrorism supported financially by such Muslim non-governmental organizations as “World Islamic League”, “World Assembly of Muslim Youth” and a number of different charity funds “Islamic Bacchus”, “Al Ibrahim”, “SAAR vaundstein” etc.

At present special service is directing its activities in Ukraine at members and supporters of such international terrorism, religious and extremism organizations as “Hamas”, “Muslim Brotherhood”, “Hesb ut-Tahrir”, “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine”, “ContraGel” and some others which in certain countries are legally defined as terrorism organizations.

Increased support base of such radical Islamic trend as “vahhabism” is really disturbing especially if we take into account the fact that it acts as an ideological foundation for many international terrorism organizations. 37 vahhabist emissaries were subjected to deportation from Ukraine by the State Security Service of Ukraine, 4 so-called charity funds were closed and finally around 4000 people involved in terrorism activities of international terrorism, religious and extremism organizations were refused entry to Ukraine.

Terrorism is a multinational notion. Hence to counteract terrorism efficiently the State Security service of Ukraine cooperates with other special services.

Besides, the State Security Service of Ukraine provides training on the regular basis to practice skills for terrorism prevention operations. More than 350 special and tactical training sessions and general staff educational workshops have been arranged in Ukraine by Antiterrorism Center since 1998. The training focus this year during 52 special training sessions was directed at cooperation between all structures to efficiently counteract terrorism activities.

Ukraine is a member of many peacekeeping antiterrorism structures including CIN Antiterrorism Center. Our state has become an active participant of the GUAM Virtual Center for the Fight against Terrorism. Cooperation with almost all leading European and international antiterrorism structures is well-coordinated and organized including the UN Counterterrorism Committee. Thus we can say that Ukraine possesses a relatively efficient system of force counteraction to terrorism.

At the same time there is a need for joint efforts on the level of legislative and executive branches of state power and also on the level civil institutions to further improve legislation base especially to undermine financial support of terrorism. There is a special institution called National Department of Finance Monitoring whose main responsibility is to spot suspicious financial banking operations and report to law enforcement organizations about their findings. Money laundering counteraction program is being put into action stemming financial flows of money obtained illegally and supporting terrorism.

In our way of thinking, the first and foremost task to prevail in antiterrorism fight is to have a more active approach directed at obtaining more detailed information about plans and intentions of leaders of international terrorism organizations, improving international data exchange in this field.

One of the most important tasks is involvement of social institutions in formation of values attaching stigma to terrorism activities making them socially unacceptable. This can be achieved through conferences, seminars, public discussions, participation in a broad dialogue and realization of programs in the field of international and religious relations. In this context much can be learned from the experience of International non-governmental organization “International Antiterrorism Unity” which holds such representative forum for the second time. Mass media should also play an important role in this process.

I would like to emphasize that the State Security Service of Ukraine is always open and ready to support any constructive initiative designed to unite antiterrorism community to extirpate this dangerous phenomenon – international terrorism.