# Russian Hell > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Russian_Hell > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Russian_Hell.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Hell > Source revision: 1350867603 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Islamist propaganda videos}} {{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} '''''Russian Hell''''' ({{langx|ar|جحيم الروس|jaḥīm ạl-rus}}), also called '''''Russian Hell in Chechnya''''' ({{Langx|ru|Русский ад на Кавказе}}) is a series of jihadist propaganda videos. They were produced by Saudi Arabian militant [Ibn Khattab](/source/Ibn_Khattab) in Chechnya, during the [Second Chechen War](/source/Second_Chechen_War) and distributed by [Azzam Publications](/source/Azzam_Publications) in the United Kingdom. It depicts the torture and execution of Russian troops by Islamist militants. It was likely the first usage of a videotaped execution by jihadists, and has been utilized or viewed as inspiration by several Islamist terrorists and militants worldwide. == Content == There are five such videos.{{Cite book |last=Bunt |first=Gary R. |title=iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam |publisher=[University of North Carolina Press](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_Press) |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8078-3258-5 |series=Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks |location=Chapel Hill |language=en}} === Russian Hell in the Year 2000 / Russian Hell 1 === The first ''Russian Hell'' video, also called ''Russian Hell in the Year 2000'', was created by the group "The Islamic Army of the Caucasus". The video is about 2 hours long, and shows video from three separate operations. 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](/source/Nasheed) about [fighting](/source/Jihad) and [dying for God](/source/Shahid).{{Cite journal |last=Wojtasik |first=Karolina |date=2017 |title=How and Why Do Terrorist Organizations Use the Internet? |journal=Polish Political Science Yearbook |language=en |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=105–117 |doi=10.15804/ppsy2017207 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |issn=0208-7375|hdl=20.500.12128/12205 |hdl-access=free }} Only a few minutes of the video explain the background, while the rest is footage of the militant operations. The videos showcase [Ibn Khattab](/source/Ibn_Khattab) giving a sort of "mission brief" to the militants. Afterwards, they move to ambush and attack a convoy of Russian soldiers.{{Cite book |last=Cottee |first=Simon |title=Watching Murder: ISIS, Death Videos and Radicalization |publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge) |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-003-27939-6 |edition=1 |location=London |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003279396}} It also displays the execution and torture of several Russian soldiers that they had captured.{{Cite book |title=Strategic Studies: A Reader |publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge) |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-203-92846-2 |editor-last=Mahnken |editor-first=Thomas G. |edition=1st |location=London |language=en |editor-last2=Maiolo |editor-first2=Joseph A.}} During the attack, they shout "[Allahu Akbar](/source/Allahu_Akbar)". Otherwise they do not actually contain much theological material, other than "in the militants’ beards".{{Cite journal |last1=Holt |first1=Tom |last2=Freilich |first2=Joshua D. |last3=Chermak |first3=Steven |last4=McCauley |first4=Clark |date=2015-05-04 |title=Political radicalization on the Internet: Extremist content, government control, and the power of victim and jihad videos |journal=Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict |language=en |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=107–120 |doi=10.1080/17467586.2015.1065101 |issn=1746-7586}} The tone of the videos is largely optimistic, described as "almost cheery", and focuses on camaraderie between the militants. The film was sold by [Azzam Publications](/source/Azzam_Publications) in the United Kingdom as Russian Hell in the Year 2000. === Russian Hell 5 === Filmed in Chechnya and Uzbekistan, the film was first published in 2004 on the Islamic Awakening forum. Like Azzam Publications, the forum was hosted in the United Kingdom and had notable members including neo-Nazi [David Myatt](/source/David_Myatt). == History and usage == The videos were produced by Saudi militant Ibn Khattab in Chechnya, during the [Second Chechen War](/source/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](/source/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. The content of the film is directly mimicked by the 2008 video ''The Blessed Dinsur Battle''. Other videos mimicked its title, such as the 2006 video ''Hell of the Apostates in Somalia''. It was likely the first videotaped execution by jihadists. While produced in a Chechen context, it was popular among western jihadists, the most popular video of its kind. The video is further popular among militant extremist Muslims worldwide, including in South Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Indonesia.{{Cite book |last=Stenersen |first=Anne |title=Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists |publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press) |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-107-01795-5 |editor-last=Hegghammer |editor-first=Thomas |language=en |chapter=A History of Jihadi Cinematography}} The film was sold by [Azzam Publications](/source/Azzam_Publications) in the United Kingdom as Russian Hell in the Year 2000.{{Cite news |last=McGregor |first=Andrew |date=2006-02-23 |title=Distant Relations: Hamas and the Mujahideen of Chechnya |url=https://jamestown.org/program/distant-relations-hamas-and-the-mujahideen-of-chechnya/ |access-date=2024-12-30 |work=North Caucasus Weekly |publisher=[The Jamestown Foundation](/source/The_Jamestown_Foundation) |language=en-US |volume=7 |issue=8}} Terrorist plotters [Colleen LaRose](/source/Colleen_LaRose) and [Momin Khawaja](/source/Momin_Khawaja) utilized the videos. The film was entered into evidence during the trial of former U.S. sailor [Hassan Abujihaad](/source/Hassan_Abujihaad).{{Cite web |title=Court analyses material support to terrorists - United States v. Abu-Jihaad, No. 3:07CR57 (D. Conn. 03/04/2009) |url=https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/cases/nat-sec/Abu-Jihaad.htm |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=biotech.law.lsu.edu}} The film was viewed by the suicide bombers behind the [2003 Casablanca bombings](/source/2003_Casablanca_bombings) the night before the attacks.{{Cite news |last=Aloumliki |first=Abderrafii |date=2003-07-31 |title=Ils voulaient fuir en Algérie |trans-title=They wanted to flee to Algeria |url=https://aujourdhui.ma/societe/ils-voulaient-fuir-en-algerie-644 |access-date=2024-12-30 |work=[Aujourd'hui Le Maroc](/source/Aujourd'hui_Le_Maroc) |location=Casablanca |language=fr-FR |issn=1114-4807}} == References == {{reflist}} Category:Islamic terrorism in Russia Category:Filmed killings in Europe Category:Filmed executions Category:Murdered prisoners of war Category:2000s videos Category:Torture in Russia Category:Jihadist propaganda --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Russian Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Hell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Hell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.