US Fails To Justify Designating Russian Imperial Movement As Terrorist Group - Moscow

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2020) The United States did not provide a clear rationale behind the decision to include the ultranationalist Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and its leaders in the list of terrorist organizations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"So, since Washington didn't provide any intelligible and detailed information about the reason behind its decision, there was a feeling that it was designed primarily for the external propaganda effect and has little to do with the real task of combating international terrorism," Zakharova said at a briefing.

US State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales announced the decision to label RIM and its leaders as global terrorists on Monday. The move raised numerous questions from foreign journalists as to why this specific movement had been recognized as a terrorist organization and why only now. Sales responded by saying that last September US President Donald Trump signed a decree that expanded the powers to impose sanctions against such organizations. However, the counterterror coordinator failed to explain why this specific movement had been chosen.

Sales also called on the Russian government to take more robust actions against RIM and close down its training camps.

The website of St.Petersburg-based RIM has been listed as an extremist portal on the Russian Justice Ministry registry since 2012.