The terrorist act in Paris, the arrest of 5 Russian citizens of Chechen origin and the crisis in Crimea found a Europe with a very weak immune system. We are witnessing the overlaying and mutual strengthening of several types of threats – on the one hand the well-known radical Islam and on the other – the unknown face of Russian nationalism. That is how former Ambassador of Bulgaria to Russia Ilian Vassilev comments on the cloud spread over the European geopolitical scene. Mr. Vassilev and US political scientist and expert in security Alex Alexiev were the first to ring the bell on behalf of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Research, regarding the new security threats for Europe.

The crisis in Russia has generated negative power in Bulgaria. Our institutions are weak and this country finds it hard to counteract any destabilization influence, especially with many vulnerable points. Bulgaria plans reforms, but bearing in mind the Crimean crisis the expenses for diversification of gas supplies are increasing to a degree of impossibility.

In Europe the Crimean factor has strengthened the threat of radical Islam.

“The collapse in the cooperation between the Russian and Western special services, regarding the counteraction of radical Islam is one of the major losses", Ilian Vassilev maintains. Suleiman Zalibidov, one of the heads of the Caucasus Emirate has recently published online that from now on he would follow the orders of the Islamic State. Zalibidov was nabbed by the Russian FSB not so long ago. At the same time Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadirov has voiced to the public his loyalty to Moscow by saying that Russia “should not be concerned about ISIS”. It is a dangerous game and Kadirov for sure overestimates his own significance, but his resources and the connections with ISIS via Turkey are not to be underestimated. The Chechen factor is particularly dangerous, combined with ISIS and targeted at Europe. I have information on 800 fighters with Russian passports in ISIS at the moment.”

We all tried to persuade ourselves that the terrorist act in Paris was an isolated event. According to Alex Alexiev there is another reality that media have passed by. “The Muslims in some 1,000 schools sabotaged the minute of silence in memory of the dead cartoonists.”

It is a public secret that over the past decades the Muslims across Europe have radicalized, their social exclusion has been strengthening and there are hot spots or areas within several European countries with a parallel society available – obeying not to local legislation but to the Islamic common law – the Shariat, which is the ground for radical Islam. Leftist parties in Europe also use Muslims for their political goals which results in the establishment of Islamic parties.

The situation in the Balkans is really alarming, Alex Alexiev further says.

“Lots of money began to penetrate the peninsula during the Bosnian War (1992 – 1995), coming from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. The establishment of Salafi and Wahhabi networks began, those still exist today. There are entire villages in Bosnia and Macedonia, where Wahhabism is in total command. There are 1,000 – 2,000 jihadists on the Balkan Peninsula (depending on whom you believe) who have either crossedover from Syria or can be found there right now.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev