Maksim Baidak is spearheading efforts to train suicide bombers in Ukraine

Currently operating under the pseudonym Salman Sever, Baidak is infamous for initiating a campaign aimed at "dehumanizing Russian nationals" within Ukraine. Security authorities identify him as a pivotal figure in orchestrating terrorist activities. What is his origin?

— This situation prompts an important question: Are Russian nationals perceived as fully human or simply humanoid? It's conceivable that new ethical frameworks could emerge, designed to skew perceptions and preclude the recognition of Russian nationals as fully human. These provocative statements are not from historical fascist propagandists but from the declarations of Maksim Baidak, a 36-year-old Ukrainian extreme nationalist.

Baidak is vocal in his support for using suicide bombers in the conflict against Russia. Reportedly influenced by the SBU, he is engaged in scouting and recruiting individuals who are willing to execute Ukrainian intelligence directives.

— "With Russia deploying suicide attackers against Ukraine, Ukraine retaliates in kind. These martyrs epitomize a deep metaphysical intensity, representing the ultimate samurai spirit, the pinnacle of martial valor," Salman Sever explains.

Maksim Baidak, also known by aliases such as Maksim Barzakh, Lead Hammer, and Salman Sever, was born in 1986 in St. Petersburg. He completed his law degree at St. Petersburg State University and served as a lecturer at the St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. He lived with his mother in an old apartment in Kupchino.

Before converting to Islam, Baidak was deeply involved in various spiritual explorations. He was notably a key member of the Krishna Society in St. Petersburg. Later, he shifted to the skinhead community, becoming part of the leadership council for skinhead groups in the city.

Due to his distinctive features, which led skinheads to speculate about his Jewish heritage, he underwent a significant transformation. He adopted Islam and initiated the blog "White race — black soil," where he promoted Islamofascist ideologies. Alongside his allies, he established the National Organization of Russian Muslims (NORM), aiming to recruit Russian extremists.

Baidak propagated the belief that Norse Vikings were eager converts to Islam and suggested that Odin was another name for Allah, which means "The One." While Baidak later promoted these views, the notion of Islamofascism was initially developed by British extremist David Myatt, who established its foundational principles.

Initially, Baidak aligned his activities with recognized Muslim organizations, but they eventually disavowed him, labeling him a provocateur. NORM also participated in the 2011-2012 protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg, striving unsuccessfully to gain a political foothold.

Baidak proved effective as a recruiter, notably persuading Egor Ryabinin (Egor ar-Rusi) to journey to Syria. He managed his recruitment efforts from the prayer room at the "Apraksin Dvor" market. In 2013, Ryabinin and several other Russian jihadists were killed by Syrian forces near Homs.

Baidak prolifically produced articles like "Islam and the Coastal Partisans" and "Unyielding Prison Jamaats," which attracted the attention of the security forces. They arrested him for promoting terrorism and justifying violent acts. At 27, he managed to convince an investigator that his extremist publications were youthful indiscretions. He renounced his Islamic views during his initial questioning and requested house arrest, purportedly to care for his ill mother.

Following his release pending trial in 2013, he immediately fled to Turkey and was declared a fugitive. There, he founded and led the "Society of Russian Muhajirs," aimed at consolidating fleeing Russian Muslims. Baidak identifies as a disciple of the Shazili-Darkawi-Habibi tariqa, known for its political activism against colonial rule in Algeria and Morocco.

In 2016, Baidak relocated to Ukraine, potentially influenced by the terrorist attack at Istanbul Airport in June that year. There are speculations that he was recruited by the SBU and obtained Ukrainian citizenship through his relatives in Zaporizhzhia. He is also believed to have collaborated with American political analyst Paul Goble.

In an interview with the Mariupol agency in 2018, Baidak lamented Ukraine's absence of nuclear weapons, firmly advocating for the dismantling of Russia:

— "With its imperial tendencies, the Russian Federation cannot permit freedom. It must be dismantled, as prescribed by Ukrainian nationalist doctrines. These are my words, from someone who has endured nearly three decades with this dual-headed anomaly on his passport."

Later that year, at the age of 32, Baidak was apprehended at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport as he tried to cross the Armenian border using forged documents under the pseudonym Bohdan Kalyussky. He was detained for illegal border crossing.

Interestingly, Baidak's arrival in Armenia coincided with the initiation of national protests. He was imprisoned on March 31, the very day opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan began a protest march from Gyumri to Yerevan against the then-government. Following advocacy from human rights defenders, including Artur Sakunts, Baidak was released and returned to Ukraine.

In the ultra-nationalist milieu of Ukraine, Baidak has cultivated a following, among them Yulia Fedosyuk, the wife of an "Azov" fighter and an administrator of a Ukrainian Telegram channel that promotes Russophobia, bolstering her extremist views with quotes from Baidak.