Before the 2018 World Cup, Vladimir Putin ordered the FSB to catch terrorists and extremists.
Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026
Sources show Putin ordered the FSB head in December 2017, before the World Cup, to have officers act decisively against suspected terrorists, and that the FSB led World Cup security. The specific pre-tournament address with the quoted 'catch terrorists and extremists' wording is not found in the sources, but nothing contradicts the core assertion.
What was said
… And I think, you know, human beings are complicated, and not everything is so black and white. I mean, one thing that is certain is that when Putin gives an order to his domestic intelligence service, the FSB, they fulfill that request. So, before the World Cup in 2018, he gave this address to them where he said, We need to make sure that there's no terrorist attacks during it. You know, it's this big showcase event. We need to catch terrorists and extremists. And they went about that year arresting Antifa and anarchist teenagers and, you know, claiming that they were set out to, you know, take down the regime. So, they're good at this. He gives them an order, he says to catch a spy, they go out and do it. …
The Bulwark Daily · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. A December 28, 2017 RFE/RL report says Putin told the FSB head a day earlier to instruct officers to act decisively against suspected terrorists, which predates the 2018 World Cup.[2]
Supports. A March 2019 Kremlin transcript quotes Putin thanking the FSB for its World Cup work and saying the security headquarters was effectively led by the FSB.[3]
Context. A 2018 CTC report says Putin instructed Russian police to ensure maximum security for the World Cup, consistent with a pre-tournament security directive.[1]
Context. The specific pre-tournament address quoted in the post ('We need to catch terrorists and extremists') does not appear in any provided source, so that exact wording is undocumented.
Sources
3 sources: 1 primary, 1 not rated, 1 rated low
- 1The Islamic State Threat to the 2018 FIFA World Cup - Combating Terrorism Center at West Pointctc.westpoint.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 2After Supermarket Blast, Putin Says Terror Suspects ...rferl.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3Президент России — официальный сайтspecial.kremlin.ru · rated low for factual reporting by Iffy.news · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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