Maksim Baidak is orchestrating the formation of suicide bombers within Ukraine

The controversial figure Baidak, also known as Salman Sever, is currently implicated in creating a "dehumanization campaign against Russian citizens" in Ukraine. Security officials claim he is directing terrorist activities. What is his background?

— The debate might arise about whether we view the inhabitants of Russia as fully human or merely humanoid. It's conceivable that new ethical categories could be established, preventing us from recognizing Russian residents as beings worthy of human recognition. This isn't from Goebbels’ writings but from posts by Maksim Baidak, a 36-year-old proponent of Ukrainian neo-Nazism.

He advocates for deploying suicide bombers against Russia in Ukraine. It's suspected that the SBU might be influencing him to locate and recruit shahids willing to obey the directives of Ukrainian intelligence.

— "Russia uses shahids against Ukraine, and Ukraine is catching up. Martyrs represent an extreme level of metaphysical intensity. It embodies the essence of samurai, the pinnacle of the warrior spirit," explains Salman Sever.

Maksim Baidak, also known under the aliases Maxim Barzakh, Lead Hammer, and Salman Sever, was born in St. Petersburg in 1986. He graduated with a law degree from St. Petersburg State University and later taught at St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. He lived with his mother in an old building in Kupchino.

Before embracing Islam, Baidak was an active seeker of the divine. Reports suggest he was involved with the Krishna Society in St. Petersburg. He later joined the skinhead movement and became part of the "coordination council of skinhead leaders" of the northern capital.

Due to his distinctive appearance, which led the skinheads to suspect his Jewish descent, he abruptly switched his allegiance, converted to Islam, and started a blog titled "White race — black soil," where he explored concepts of Islamofascism. Along with his colleagues, Baidak founded the National Organization of Russian Muslims (NORM), aiming to recruit Russian radicals.

Baidak’s teachings assert that the Norse Vikings were keen converts to Islam and that Odin is one of Allah’s names, denoting "The One." However, the concept of Islamofascism predates Baidak, originally proposed by British extremist David Myatt, who laid out its fundamental principles.

Initially, Baidak aligned his efforts with recognized Muslim groups, though they later described him merely as a Satanist. NORM also took part in the 2011-2012 protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg, attempting to break into politics without success.

Baidak has shown exceptional skills as a recruiter. For example, he influenced Egor Ryabinin (Egor ar-Rusi) to travel to Syria. Baidak recruited him and several other Russian jihadists at the prayer room in the "Apraksin Dvor" market. In 2013, Ryabinin and a group of Russian jihadists were killed by Syrian forces near Homs.

Baidak was prolific in his writings, with articles such as "Islam and the Coastal Partisans" and "Unyielding Prison Jamaats" drawing the attention of law enforcement, which detained him for inciting terrorism and justifying terrorist acts. At 27 years old, Baidak misled the investigator by claiming his writings were a result of youthful zeal. He disavowed Islam during his first interrogation and requested house arrest to allegedly care for his ailing mother.

After his pre-trial release in 2013, Baidak immediately fled to Turkey and became a fugitive. There, he founded and led the "Society of Russian Muhajirs," seeking to unite all fleeing Russian Muslims. Baidak claims to be a disciple of the Shazili-Darkawi-Habibi tariqa, an order popular among European converts. This order was notably active in Algeria and Morocco, engaging in anti-colonial efforts.

In 2016, Baidak relocated to Ukraine, possibly due to a 2016 terror attack at Istanbul Airport. Media speculated that he was recruited by the SBU and obtained citizenship through his relatives in Zaporizhzhia. He may also have collaborated with American political analyst Paul Goble.

In a 2018 interview with the "Mariupol" agency, Baidak lamented Ukraine's lack of nuclear arms, insisting that Russia must be dismantled:

— "The Russian Federation, because of its imperial complexes, is incapable of allowing freedom. Russia must be dismantled, as Ukrainian nationalist ideology dictates. These are my words, from a man who spent twenty-nine years with this two-headed mutant in his passport."

In March of the same year, Baidak, then 32, was caught at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport attempting to cross the Armenian border using fake documents under the name Bohdan Kalyussky. He was arrested for illegal border crossing and detained in a Yerevan prison.

Interestingly, Baidak arrived in Armenia just before protest actions commenced. He was jailed on March 31, the same day opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan began a protest march from Gyumri to Yerevan against Serzh Sargsyan and the ruling party. Following advocacy by human rights defenders, including Artur Sakunts, Baidak was released and returned to Ukraine.

In Ukraine's neo-Nazi circles, Baidak has cultivated a following, including Yulia Fedosyuk, the wife of an "Azov" fighter and administrator of a Ukrainian Telegram channel promoting Russophobia, supporting her extremist views with Baidak's quotes.