![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GettyImages-1026465278.jpg\")
Valery Sharifulin\\TASS via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n
The head of Russia\u2019s Anti-Terrorism Center has warned that terrorists are intentionally trying to spread the coronavirus, using it as a form of bio-weapon.<\/strong><\/p>\n Andrei Novikov, head of Russia\u2019s Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), told\u00a0Russian state news agency Tass<\/a>\u00a0that the terrorists are using the health crisis to further their own agendas.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile governments are trying to ensure health security, focusing on protecting the lives and health of their people, recruiters of international terrorist groups are not just taking advantage of the difficult situation in order to recruit more \u2018Jihad soldiers,\u2019 they are calling on infected members to spread COVID-19 as wide as possible in public places, state agencies and so on,\u201d Novikov said.<\/p>\n The anti-terror chief\u00a0also noted<\/a>\u00a0that terrorists have been hampered by lockdowns and so are finding other ways of recruiting and spreading fear.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the population started moving into self-isolation and borders between countries were closing, the level of terrorist activity had somewhat decreased,\u201d Novikov said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason is obvious \u2013 it became significantly more difficult for terrorists to move around, especially between countries, given that border control as well as disease control and prevention were heightened,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Novikov further added that online \u201cMedia centers were activated which combine the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology and the recruitment of new members.\u201d<\/p>\n He stated that anti-terror efforts are now focusing more on stopping the spread of misinformation designed to induce societal collapse.<\/p>\n \u201cAbove all, they are linked to mobilization technologies to ensure public safety, to thwart the spread of unreliable information and any attempts to wreak panic and social tension,\u201d Novikov asserted.<\/p>\n Interestingly,\u00a0Novikov also claimed<\/a>\u00a0that terrorists are using resentment against government imposed lockdowns, as well as a \u201cdeclining quality of life\u201d in countries hit hardest by the coronavirus, to entice new recruits.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a common understanding that the objective \u201csocial fatigue\u201d should be separated from the restrictions introduced and its artificial amplification in order to destabilize the constitutional structure,\u201d Novikov stated.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/api.directus.libertycdn.com\/uploads\/_\/originals\/SupportMySponsor-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n