70Received 29.06.2022. Revised 01.08.2022. Accepted 26.09.2022.
Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-Crisis World Order: Challenges and Technologies, Competition and Cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement ¹ 075-15-2020-783).
Abstract. Against the backdrop of a sharp aggravation of the international situation, the growth of fundamental contradictions between Russia and Western countries, and the growing disunity of the international community, the terrorist threat is increasing. Its most dangerous manifestations are the attempts already made by terrorists to use elements of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), as well as to seize dangerous infrastructure facilities, including nuclear cycle facilities, the damage or destruction of which could lead to mass casualties. Recently, the threat of terrorist acts against high-risk civilian infrastructure has increased dramatically. Military operations in Ukraine and the concomitant violation of the working rhythm of the nuclear power plant, the weakening of the security system actually open the “gates” to both provocative forceful actions and the intrigues of terrorists or groups interested in escalating the armed conflict. Computer technology and Internet resources provide new opportunities for illegal access to WMD components, which opens up new options, for instance, to the manufacture of the so-called “dirty bomb” and “bomb in the garage”. The growth of international tension not only complicates the coordinated solution of socio-economic problems in the poorest countries of the world, but also contributes to their aggravation, thereby creating conditions for a significant increase in migration flows to the most developed countries. As a result, in these countries and in the world as a whole, prerequisites are created for replenishing the ranks of terrorists. Ñoordination of actions of states and international institutions, enhancing the effectiveness of the NPT regimes, of already cooperatively developed and promising measures to combat terrorism can significantly reduce this threat. Without scaling down the level of confrontation between Russia and the West, the possibility of effective collective action in this direction is now significantly hampered. Historical experience, however, shows that deep crises can create the preconditions for a return to dialogue and increased cooperation on security issues.
Keywords: catastrophic terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, Russia and Western countries, PSI, IAEA, the threat, nuclear power plants, nuclear cycle facilities, religious extremism, anti-terrorist strategies
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