Russian security chief claims West may use former ISIL fighters against Iran
Russia's Federal Security Service chief has claimed that Western intelligence services are trying to use former ISIL fighters as proxy forces against Iran. Alexander Bortnikov made the allegation at a meeting of intelligence officials from eight ex-Soviet nations on 26 May, according to state media cited in the supplied material. He did not name any specific Western country and did not provide evidence to support the claim.
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The remarks were reported on 8 June and framed as part of a wider warning from Bortnikov about militant networks linked to Syria. He said Western intelligence services "don't give up on their attempts to utilise militant terrorists from Syria as proxy forces in the war against Iran". The supplied material says he offered no intercepted communications, photographs or other corroborating material.
It also notes that Bortnikov heads the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, which is the main successor to the Soviet KGB. The claim comes against the backdrop of a separate US-led transfer of detainees linked to ISIL from northeastern Syria to Iraq in February. According to the supplied material, that move followed a decision by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to join the anti-ISIL coalition and regain control of northeastern areas previously held by Kurdish-dominated forces.
Those forces had detained up to 9,000 ISIL fighters, according to the US military. The transfer of prisoners shows that the issue of ISIL detainees remains active, even as the Russian allegation focuses on their possible use in a different regional confrontation. The significance of the allegation lies in the way it links three sensitive files: Syria's post-conflict security arrangements, the future of ISIL detainees, and tensions involving Iran.
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If true, the claim would suggest a covert effort to repurpose former militants in a broader geopolitical struggle. But the supplied material also makes clear that no evidence was presented publicly, and analysts quoted in the article doubt the assertion. Bortnikov is described in the supplied material as one of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies and as a veteran of the Soviet security services.
The FSB's role as the successor to the KGB gives his comments particular weight inside Russia, especially when they concern foreign intelligence activity. The article also notes criticism from Gennady Gudkov, a former KGB officer and ex-lawmaker who has become a Putin critic. Gudkov said the remarks reflected a lack of oversight over security agencies in Russia and described them as unsupported by facts.
The supplied material also places the comments in a broader pattern of Russian security messaging. It says the FSB has a history of misinforming Putin, particularly on developments in Ukraine, according to the White House, leaks and media reports referenced in the article. That context matters because it raises questions not only about the accuracy of the allegation, but also about whether it is intended to shape perceptions among Russia's former Soviet neighbours and other regional actors.
The meeting where Bortnikov spoke involved intelligence officials from eight ex-Soviet nations, underlining the regional audience for the message. For Iran, the allegation is politically sensitive because it suggests the possibility of hostile covert activity involving non-state armed actors. For Syria, it highlights the continuing international consequences of the detention and movement of ISIL-linked prisoners.
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For Russia, the claim fits into a wider contest over influence, intelligence and narrative control, but the supplied material does not establish that the alleged operation exists. The article therefore presents the statement as an unverified accusation rather than a confirmed development. What remains unclear is whether any intelligence service has actually attempted to recruit or deploy former ISIL fighters in this way, and whether Bortnikov's remarks were based on classified information or were intended as a warning.
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