Islamic militants use Ukraine as a transit country to enter the European Union and control territories held by ISIS in the Middle East, said the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Mykola Malomuzh, former head of Ukraine's intelligence and political consultant, stated that mercenaries from the Islamic State use Ukraine as a transit corridor because the border crossing regulations in Ukraine are less strict than in other European countries.
Currently, there are at least 250 kilometers of uncontrolled border with Russia in Ukraine's eastern zone, where armed groups supported by Russia have taken control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. According to Malomuzh, ISIS fighters view the section of uncontrolled border as an easy route into Ukraine, and then to Europe.
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'Additionally, illegal migration channels for Muslims from Syria and the Middle East through our territory were established long before the war in Syria,' Malomuzh added.
SBU representative Elena Gitlyanskaya partially confirmed Malomuzh's data.
She stated that there was an illegal transit corridor from Central Asia and the Caucasus to Syria and Iraq through Ukraine, used by members of ISIS. The SBU is aware of this, and only in 2015, 25 militants from the Islamic State were arrested while attempting to cross the country.
Most of the fighters were deported to their countries. Three of them are still in Ukraine, suspected of document forgery.
However, 33 people are known to have successfully reached ISIS-controlled territories via Ukraine and Turkey and joined the terrorist group. Their identities are known, and they are banned from entering Ukraine in the future.
Others were stopped at the border. The SBU banned 29 Syrian citizens from entering Ukraine because they are suspected of involvement in the war in Syria.
This year, the SBU also initiated four criminal investigations and arrested six individuals suspected of committing crimes in Ukraine on behalf of ISIS.
All six were citizens of Middle Eastern countries, including Syria and Lebanon. After their arrest, they were deported to their countries. The SBU stated that there was evidence that they were members of terrorist groups ISIS and Al-Nusra, a branch of Al-Qaeda.
Gitlyanskaya also said that Ukraine participates in operations against the Islamic State, cooperating with security services of European countries, the USA, Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East.