On May 26, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), told a meeting of intelligence officials from eight former Soviet republics that Western intelligence agencies were trying to use jihadist fighters from Syria as proxy forces in a campaign against Iran. The statement was reported by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Bortnikov did not specify which Western countries were allegedly behind the plot, nor did he provide any evidence such as intercepted recordings or images. Earlier, in February, the United States began transferring thousands of ISIL prisoners from detention centers in northeastern Syria to Iraq, after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa decided to join the anti-ISIL coalition and regain control of areas held by Kurdish forces.
Many observers and experts have questioned the credibility of the claim. Gennady Gudkov, a former KGB officer and Kremlin-critical lawmaker now living in exile abroad, called it baseless: “There is no evidence, not even an attempt to provide details or facts.” He added that since security oversight measures have vanished, Russia's security agencies can lie without being checked.
Nikolay Mitrokhin, an expert at the University of Bremen in Germany, analyzed that FSB analysts may have interpreted messages from North Caucasus-born operatives released into ISIL and then added “a political structure” that aligns with what President Putin wants to hear. Ruslan Suleymanov, a researcher at the Center for New Eurasian Strategies, noted that Bortnikov's statement was “somewhat far-fetched, largely just rumors.”
Some experts suggested that contacts between Western intelligence and former ISIL fighters are possible, but that does not mean these forces would be used against Iran. Nikita Smagin, an expert on Russia-Iran relations, explained that building relationships does not imply these forces would eventually march against Iran.
According to Smagin, Bortnikov's accusation may be an attempt by the Kremlin to revive its waning influence in the former Soviet republics. “The scare-mongering rhetoric, showing that the U.S. is more dangerous because they do this or that, and we can help you — this argument works along those lines.”
Speaking to post-Soviet security officials, Bortnikov asserted that Western efforts to “weaponize” ISIL pose a security threat to Central Asian and South Caucasus states, which border Iran or its neighbors. However, no country's security official at the conference voiced public support, and President Putin did not repeat these claims.
Earlier, in October 2025, Bortnikov had accused Britain of obstructing Ukraine peace talks, organizing attacks in former Soviet republics, and plotting to destroy a Russian gas pipeline to Turkey. Britain dismissed those accusations as “completely absurd.”
