Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PARAKANYAA (talk | contribs) at 20:11, 30 December 2024. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Russian Hell (Arabic: جحيم الروس, romanized: jaḥīm ạl-rus), also called Russian Hell in Chechnya (Russian: Русский ад на Кавказе) and Russian Hell in the Year 2000, is a series of jihadist motivational videos. They were produced by Saudi Arabian militant Ibn Khattab in Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War. It depicts the torture and execution of Russian troops by Islamist militants. It has been utilized or viewed as inspiration by several Islamist terrorists.

Content

The film was shot by amateurs with no film training, and the footage is shaky and poorly zoomed in at several instances, with poor sound quality. It is presented in several fragmentary clips. The sound is instead replaced with a cappella music about fighting and dying for god.

The videos showcase Ibn Khattab giving a sort of "mission brief" to the militants. Afterwards, they move to ambush and attack a convoy of Russian soldiers. It also displays the execution and torture of several Russian soldiers that they had captured. During the attack, they shout "Allahu Akbar". Otherwise they do not actually contain much theologically material, other than "in the militants’ beards". The tone of the videos is largely optimistic, described as "almost cheery", and focuses on camaraderie between the militants.

History and usage

The videos were produced by saudi Arabian militant Ibn Khattab in Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War. The purpose of the recording was to showcase the successes of Chechen militants, showcasing their training and ruthlessness towards their enemies. It was initially released as a forty minute film in 2000. Shortly after its creation, al-Qaeda copied the idea and released their own film The Destruction of the Destroyer USS Cole, and afterwards many terrorist groups desired to document their "achievements" in such a manner.

While produced in a Chechen context, it was popular among western jihadists, the most popular video of its kind. The film was sold by Azzam Publications in the United Kingdom as Russian Hell in the Year 2000. Terrorist plotters Colleen LaRose and Momin Khawaja utilized the videos. The film was entered into evidence during the trial of former U.S. sailor Hassan Abujihaad. The film was viewed by the suicide bombers behind the 2003 Casablanca bombings the night before the attacks.

References

1. ^ Wojtasik, Karolina (2017). "How and Why Do Terrorist Organizations Use the Internet?". Polish Political Science Yearbook. 46 (2): 105–117. ISSN 0208-7375.
2. Cottee, Simon (2022). Watching Murder: ISIS, Death Videos and Radicalization (1 ed.). London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003279396. ISBN 978-1-003-27939-6.
3. ^ Mahnken, Thomas G.; Maiolo, Joseph A., eds. (2008). Strategic Studies: A Reader (1st ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-92846-2.
4. ^ Holt, Tom; Freilich, Joshua D.; Chermak, Steven; McCauley, Clark (4 May 2015). "Political radicalization on the Internet: Extremist content, government control, and the power of victim and jihad videos". Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict. 8 (2): 107–120. doi:10.1080/17467586.2015.1065101. ISSN 1746-7586.
5. Stenersen, Anne (2017). "A History of Jihadi Cinematography". In Hegghammer, Thomas (ed.). Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-01795-5.
6. McGregor, Andrew (23 February 2006). "Distant Relations: Hamas and the Mujahideen of Chechnya". North Caucasus Weekly. The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
7. "Court analyses material support to terrorists - United States v. Abu-Jihaad, No. 3:07CR57 (D. Conn. 03/04/2009)". biotech.law.lsu.edu. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
8. ALOUMLIKI, Abderrafii (31 July 2003). "Ils voulaient fuir en Algérie". Aujourd'hui le Maroc (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2024.

• Islamic terrorism
• Filmed killings