They were produced by Saudi Arabian militant Ibn Khattab in Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War and distributed by Azzam Publications in the United Kingdom.
It was likely the first usage of a videotaped execution by jihadists, and has been utilized or viewed as inspiration by several Islamist terrorists and militants worldwide.
[1] Like Azzam Publications, the forum was hosted in the United Kingdom and had notable members including neo-Nazi David Myatt.
[3] Shortly after its creation, al-Qaeda copied the idea and released their own film The Destruction of the Destroyer USS Cole, and afterwards many terrorist groups desired to document their "achievements" in such a manner.
The video is further popular among militant extremist Muslims worldwide, including in South Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Indonesia.
[2][5] The film was sold by Azzam Publications in the United Kingdom as Russian Hell in the Year 2000.