Suppression of manifestations of violent ethno-religious extremism: expert assessments

Abstract

Growing social tension increases the danger of ethno-religious extremism, that negatively affects the views and value orientations of various groups of the Russian population, worsens the social well-being of society, provokes an increase in protest potential, and threatens Russia's national security. The article deals with the problems of the effectiveness of the measures of state and public structures in the suppression of ethno-extremist actions and analyses the practice of using voluntary public formations for these purposes. A two-stage survey conducted by the author of the article using the methods of questionnaire and in-depth interviews of 20 experts who are highly qualified specialists in the field of countering ethno-extremism, the results of sociological studies of the FCTAS RAS and VCIOM, the conclusions of the IBHR report, as well as the analysis of scientific papers and media publications on the topic of the study showed that the most effective (expert rating "5" on a five-point scale) are the preventive actions of the FSB and the NAC (National Anti-terrorism Committee). The National Guard and the police received a fairly high assessment of the effectiveness of this work (“4”). Cossack organisations received an average assessment of the effectiveness of the researched activity (“3”). The suppressive activity of the DND (Voluntary People´s Squad) was rated "2". The actions of other public law enforcement formations (associations of veterans of law enforcement agencies, self-defense units, youth patrols, etc.), as well as public ethno-religious organisations that are not directly related to law enforcement activities, were recognised as the least effective (“1"). The study showed that 75% of experts consider it justified to use voluntary public law enforcement formations (Cossacks, DND, etc.) to suppress violent ethno-religious manifestations and, above all, the ones of the separatist nature. At the same time, 35% of experts believe that such use is correct in almost any ethno-conflict situation, and 40% are in favour of their use only in emergency circumstances, when government services cannot eliminate a sudden threat on their own. At the same time, 25% of the surveyed experts consider the use of voluntary formations unjustified, since only the state has the right to legitimate use of violence. The results of the assessment of the activities of state and public structures analysed in the article are recommended for the use in developing measures to increase the effectiveness of countering violent ethno-extremism, strengthening civil unity, and achieving interethnic and interfaith harmony in Russian society.