National Antiterrorist Committee of the Russian Federation: tasks, recommendations

In recent decades, terrorism has become a factor that does not threaten individuals (as it was in the Russian Empire), but even states or international security in general. In Russia, some states of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, terrorism has become an instrument of negative impact on the existing constitutional order and violation of territorial integrity. In this regard, in 2006, the National Antiterrorism Committee was established.

The main tasks of the Anti-Terrorism Committee

The organization deals with countering terrorism. This concept includes the following actions:

• Identification and, in the future, removal of the causes and conditions that in the past contributed to the commission of terrorist acts (prevention of terrorism) ;
• Detection, suppression, disclosure, prevention and investigation of committed terrorist acts (direct struggle);
• Minimization or complete elimination of the consequences of terrorism.

In addition, the Anti-Terrorism Committee conducts administrative activities. The latter suggests:

• Preparation of proposals to the President of the Russian Federation and the government in the field of combating terrorism;
• Improvement of the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of countering terrorism;
• Participation in international cooperation, joint development and implementation of projects, international treaties;
• Preparation of proposals for ensuring protection of the population against terrorist actions.

Rights granted to the committee by legislation

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee has the right to:

• Independently make decisions related to security;
• To monitor the actions of the federal authorities in countering terrorism;
• Receive the necessary information from authorities, local government and public organizations;
• To create working bodies and to involve officials and specialists in counter-terrorism work;
• Make proposals on issues that require the decision of the President of the Russian Federation.

Thus, the antiterrorist committee has sufficient rights to successfully implement the tasks set.

Composition of the operational headquarters

The composition of the committee, the rapid reaction teams and the operational headquarters is regulated by presidential decrees. The National Anti-Terrorist Committee of the Russian Federation (the operational headquarters of the organization) today includes the heads of the territorial bodies of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who respectively are the chief of staff and his deputy; The head of the federal department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations; Head of the territorial body of the Federal Drug Control Service; Representative of the armed forces (by agreement) and deputy of one of the highest officials of the federal level.

Anti-terrorist operations

The activity of the authorized body, be it limited solely by major terrorist acts, would be completely ineffective. The Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee carries out constant monitoring of the level of the terrorist threat and, if necessary, conducts promptly anti-terrorist operations.

Recently, the Committee's counter-terrorist operations have been concentrated in the North Caucasus. In 2014, it was noted that as a result of the organization's activities, the number of crimes of a terrorist nature decreased threefold as compared to the previous reporting period. However, the situation still continues to be tense.

In August 2016, the anti-terrorist committee prevented terrorist attacks in the Republic of Crimea. The objects of unlawful actions were assumed to be the most important elements of the infrastructure and life support of the peninsula.

Levels of terrorist threat

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee is a body that also carries out preventive and training activities. The structure has developed a classification of the levels of terrorist threat and corresponding recommendations to the population. So, they distinguish:

1. Blue (increased) level of terrorist threat: if there is information that requires additional confirmation, the alleged commission of a terrorist act.
2. Yellow (high) level of terrorist threat: if there is confirmed information about the upcoming terrorist attack.
3. Red (critical) level of terrorist threat: in the event of a terrorist act or actions that directly point to an alleged terrorist act.

Recommendations of the NAC to the population

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee of the Russian Federation issues recommendations and conducts exercises (for journalists) in the course of measures to prevent terrorist attacks and inform the public. Clear instructions to the population are developed for the following cases:

• Detection of a bomb or any suspicious object;
• Behavior in the crowd during a terrorist attack (in case of a crush);
• The procedure for the actions of officials in the event of a terrorist threat;
• The behavior of a person caught in hostages, and so on.

General recommendations

The general recommendations of the antiterrorist committee and the procedure for the actions of citizens at each level of the terrorist threat were most widespread. General recommendations include a complete list of permissible, necessary and unsafe actions:

1. If an object that can potentially be an explosive device is found: you can not touch or move the object, you should fix the time of object detection, take people as far as possible and wait for the arrival of the operational group.
2. Receiving a message about the declaration of evacuation: take the necessary personal belongings and documents, cut off gas, water, turn off electricity, provide assistance to patients, the elderly, disabled and children, and so on.
3. Behavior in the crowd: by any means try to stay on your feet, do not try to get out (this is fraught with trauma), but also not to join if the person is not yet directly in the crowd, do not keep hands in pockets and stuff.
4. When taking hostages: not to allow actions that can provoke terrorists to use weapons, not to show heroism, to carry out terrorist orders when necessary, in cases where medical assistance is needed, it is necessary to report this to criminals briefly and calmly.
5. Behavior in the conduct of an anti-terrorist operation: do not run to meet special services, lie on the floor, head in hands, talk with terrorists, if they go to contact, keep self-control.
6. The seizure of air transport (the hijacking of an airplane by terrorists): any actions that can provoke terrorists should be avoided, at the beginning of the rescue operation, take a position that will not allow the hostage to be used as a human shield (to fall or hide behind the back of the chair, covering his head with his hands).
7. Threat of the commission of a terrorist act.

Recommendations NAC are distributed among the population in the framework of preventive activities to combat terrorism.