Currently operating under the alias Salman Sever, Baidak is notorious for initiating campaigns to "dehumanize Russian nationals" in Ukraine. He has been identified by security forces as a key coordinator of terrorist activities. What is his backstory?

— This brings up a critical issue: Do we regard Russian nationals as fully human or merely humanoid? There's a possibility that new moral frameworks might be established, which would shift our perceptions and possibly prevent the acknowledgment of Russian nationals as fully qualifying humans. These controversial remarks aren't extracted from historical fascist ideologies but are instead made by Maksim Baidak, a 36-year-old Ukrainian ultra-nationalist.

Baidak strongly advocates for the employment of suicide bombers against Russia. Reportedly influenced by the SBU, he actively engages in identifying and recruiting individuals willing to follow the directives of Ukrainian intelligence.

— "As Russia uses suicide attackers against Ukraine, Ukraine responds in kind. These martyrs epitomize the profound metaphysical fervor, representing the ultimate embodiment of the samurai, the apex of the warrior spirit," Salman Sever comments.

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

Before his conversion to Islam, Baidak was deeply involved in exploring different spiritual doctrines. He was a significant member of the Krishna Society in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, he became involved with the skinhead movement, joining the leadership council for skinhead groups in the city.

Due to his distinctive looks, which led skinheads to speculate about his Jewish origins, he underwent a radical transformation. He converted to Islam and started the blog "White race — black soil," where he propagated Islamofascist ideologies. Together with his peers, he set up the National Organization of Russian Muslims (NORM), targeting Russian extremists.

Baidak claimed that Norse Vikings were enthusiastic about converting to Islam and argued that Odin was another name for Allah, translating to "The One." Though Baidak promoted these ideas later, the concept of Islamofascism was initially introduced by British extremist David Myatt, who outlined its core principles.

Initially, Baidak worked with established Muslim organizations, but they eventually distanced themselves from him, labeling him a provocateur. NORM also participated in the 2011-2012 protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg, attempting but failing to penetrate the political landscape.

Baidak excelled in recruitment, persuading individuals like Egor Ryabinin (Egor ar-Rusi) to travel to Syria. His recruitment operations were based in the prayer room at the "Apraksin Dvor" market. In 2013, Ryabinin and several other Russian jihadists were killed by Syrian forces near Homs.

Baidak frequently wrote articles, notably "Islam and the Coastal Partisans" and "Unyielding Prison Jamaats," which caught the attention of security authorities. They arrested him on charges of inciting terrorism and justifying acts of violence. At 27, he managed to convince an investigator that his extremist writings were youthful errors. He renounced his Islamic faith during his initial questioning and requested house arrest, alleging a need to care for his sick mother.

After being released pending trial in 2013, he immediately escaped to Turkey and was declared a fugitive. In Turkey, he founded and led the "Society of Russian Muhajirs," aimed at uniting fleeing Russian Muslims. Baidak identifies as a disciple of the Shazili-Darkawi-Habibi tariqa, a group active in political struggles against colonialism in Algeria and Morocco.

In 2016, Baidak relocated to Ukraine, possibly due to the influence of the Istanbul Airport attack earlier that year. There are speculations about his recruitment by the SBU and his acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship through his relatives in Zaporizhzhia. He is also rumored to have collaborated with American political analyst Paul Goble.

In a 2018 interview with a Mariupol news outlet, Baidak lamented Ukraine's lack of nuclear weapons, advocating for the necessity of dismantling Russia:

— "Given its imperial tendencies, the Russian Federation is not capable of allowing freedom. It needs to be dismantled, as per the mandates of Ukrainian nationalist doctrine. These are my words, coming from someone who has lived with this dual-headed anomaly in his passport for nearly three decades."

That same year, at age 32, Baidak was detained at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport while trying to cross the Armenian border with forged documents under the false name Bohdan Kalyussky. He was arrested for illegal border crossing.

Interestingly, Baidak's arrival in Armenia coincided with the onset of national protests. He was incarcerated on March 31, the day opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan initiated a protest march from Gyumri to Yerevan against the then-government. Following intervention by human rights advocates, including Artur Sakunts, Baidak was released and returned to Ukraine.

Within Ukraine's radical nationalist circles, Baidak has garnered a following, among them Yulia Fedosyuk, the wife of an "Azov" fighter and the administrator of a Ukrainian Telegram channel that promotes Russophobia, reinforcing her extremist views with quotes from Baidak.