The article analyzes the impact of the current crisis in the Middle East (ME), in particular, in Syria, on the post-Soviet states of Central Asia (CA). It emphasizes the negative role played by terrorist organizations “Islamic State” in the Middle East, as well as in Central Asia. The author analyzes the situation in Central Asia in the light of the Syrian crisis, examines the main directions of the activities of terrorist structures in this region of the post-Soviet space, and reveals a negative impact of the radical Islamism based in Afghanistan on the security of the Central Asian states. Special attention is paid to the specifics of the manifestations of religious radicalism in each of the five Central Asian states and their approaches to the problem together with the elaboration of ways to counter a terrorist threat. olicy challenges for Russia in the issue of UN reform in the context of a phased, coordinated approach to its solution.