Alwaght-Over 2,000 Russians have left their country for Syria and Iraq, including to join the ranks of the radical ISIS terrorist organization, Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Igor Barinov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.
"We have, according to various estimates, about 2,000 people who have already left for Syria, Iraq, ISIS" Barinov said on Thursday.
He added that the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs is cooperating with Russia’s special services on the creation of a unique system that could analyze internet website and mass media in order to detect extremist and terrorist propaganda and later block internet resources that include "dangerous content."
According to Barinov, the Muslim community in Russia also plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of extremism.
Affiliated ISIS groups operate in North Africa, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The terrorists, who recruit young fighters from across the globe using social media, are known for their grave human rights violations, such as mass killings and beheadings.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) estimates that about 1,700 Russians have been recruited by Islamic State.
On Wednesday, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said that citizens from more than 100 countries are currently fighting among the ranks of the ISIS and the terrorist organization has taken the upper hand in propaganda.
In May, The UN Security Council (UNSC) released a report outlining the flow of foreign fighters into the ranks of extremist groups around the world, and warned of the risk of returning the fighters launching terrorist operations in their home countries.
Over 25,000 “foreign terrorist fighters” from more than 100 countries have travelled to join groups such as the ISIs, al-Nusra Front and al-Qaeda in conflicts around the world, the report noted.
Iraq and Syria are the countries most affected by the flow of terrorists, with significant numbers also travelling to Libya, the report said.