MOSCOW, August 31 (RAPSI) – Crimean authorities launched five criminal cases over calls for terrorist activity in the summer of 2016, head of the republic’s Counter-Terrorism Commission’s Office, Alexander Bulychev, told journalists on Wednesday.

According to Bulychev, criminal cases were opened against individuals who had pushed for terrorism and extremism on the Internet. Moreover, eight groups of extremist websites containing in particular calls for entry into Islamic organizations including the Islamic State banned in Russia were blocked.

He added that intelligence services during the past holiday season also found “criminal actors and individuals who were staying in Russia illegally.”