Volleyball, Arabic Language, and 'ISIS': The Double Life of a Russian Girl

Varvara Karayulova, who turned twenty last week, will now have plenty of time to think about her future and possibly serve a ten-year prison sentence behind bars. She is a philosophy student at Moscow State University and has recently become a prominent symbol of the threat posed by jihadist groups to Russian society. She was arrested a while ago on charges of connections with the Islamic State group (ISIS) and has since been transferred to Lefortovo prison, which is designated for security and dangerous prisoners. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, she was previously detained by Turkish security forces at the Syrian border and returned to Russia. Russian judicial authorities claim she intended to join the Islamic Caliphate, but her defense attorney denies this accusation. Pavel Karayulov, Varvara's father, emphasizes that it is unlikely his intelligent and curious daughter intended to join ISIS, but admits that before her trip to Turkey, she led a double life that was strange for a child from a middle-class Russian family. He states, 'She would leave home in ordinary student clothes like jeans and a t-shirt, but at the university, she would change her clothes and wear long dresses and a headscarf, which is the common hijab for Muslim girls.' Pavel Karayulov said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the reason for his daughter's arrest in October was that she refused to cooperate in the way the Federal Security Service of Russia wanted to track and detain individuals who had drawn her to these ideas. His statements have added significance and new aspects to the case of this young Russian girl, who exemplifies the influence of ISIS propaganda thousands of kilometers away from its area of operation. Varvara was detained in Turkey in May along with several other girls who apparently intended to join ISIS. Her father went to Turkey and brought her back to Russia. At that time, Russian security and judicial authorities did not file a case against her. However, Varvara's parents discovered that their daughter had been living a double and secret life for six months before going to Syria. In addition to being a good student, Varvara was an athlete who participated in volleyball competitions and wrestling training. She began her studies in the United States because her family had lived there for some time. Her father says that recently Varvara showed interest in learning Arabic, but this did not surprise him. He adds, 'Varvara has always made good progress in her studies and is fluent in English and French. Therefore, we considered learning foreign languages as part of her special interest in other cultures and even encouraged her.' After the family returned to Russia, Varvara admitted that she had an online relationship with a 25-year-old man who introduced himself as Vladislav and claimed to be from Kazan, the capital of the Muslim republic of Tatarstan. Her father says Varvara and this man had been in contact for at least three years, and during this time, their conversations shifted from sports and music to discussions about Islamic issues. According to him, even after several years of contact, Varvara did not know exactly where Vladislav lived. They never had phone calls or Skype conversations, and their only means of communication was sending and receiving emails. Varvara's father believes this individual provided her with details and methods for traveling to Turkey. He states, 'Varvara received very precise explanations about her trip and even knew the license plate number of the car that was supposed to take her to the Syrian border.' He adds that his daughter blindly followed her emotions, which Varvara later described as a 'fiery love.' Varvara's mother also says that even after returning to Russia, her daughter developed a kind of 'emotional attachment' to this individual and was unaware of her actions and behavior. According to her parents, Varvara underwent psychological treatment and testing after returning to Russia. Varvara's father states that his daughter provided all her communications with this individual, who intended to recruit her for ISIS, to Russian security agencies and fully cooperated with them. He says his daughter continued to contact this individual under the supervision of security agents so that the security agencies could trace him. He adds, 'I fully agreed with this cooperation and wanted the security agencies to obtain all necessary information and prevent the activities of jihadist groups from recruiting young people in Russia.' According to her parents, Varvara told security agents that this cooperation was difficult for her because she still had a strong attachment to this person, who only existed online. Her father says Varvara stopped using the internet in September and even put aside her smartphone to use an old phone. A month later, in October, Varvara was arrested on charges of connections with individuals who recruit for ISIS. Her father states that Varvara's refusal to continue contact with these individuals in the manner desired by security agencies led to her arrest. He hopes that despite this issue, this misunderstanding will be resolved soon, and his daughter will be released. Varvara's father states that neither he nor his daughter's lawyer has been able to meet with her since her arrest and are not allowed to comment on the investigation. Russian media reported on December 1 that the defense attorney's renewed request to meet with Varvara in prison was rejected by the judiciary. Varvara's mother and grandmother attended the court session to support her, but officials did not allow them to speak with Varvara.