Spy Chief: West Trying To Crumble Russia
Russian Spy Boss Singles Out Britain, Says Agents Working To Weaken Kremlin
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP Photo / Sergei Chirikov, Pool)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Director of the Federal Security Service Nikolai Patrushev are seen at the Federal Security Service headquarters in Moscow, Monday, Oct. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti)
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Nikolai Patrushev, who heads the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency, also claimed that foreign spies were working to foment discontent in Russia in the run-up to December's parliamentary elections and the presidential vote next spring.
Patrushev is a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin, and his comments reflect deeply entrenched suspicions of Western intentions in the Kremlin's inner circle amid a cold spell in Russia's relations with the West. Putin himself is a 16-year KGB veteran and former chief of the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.
"Politicians thinking in the categories of the Cold War still retain their influence in a number of Western nations," Patrushev told the weekly Argumenty i Fakty. "They have claimed credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they are hatching plans aimed at dismembering Russia. They are viewing special services and their organizations as an efficient instrument for their implementation."
Patrushev said that foreign spies were focusing their efforts on gathering information related to Russia's elections. "They are trying to influence protest feelings and demonstrations in Russia."
He singled out Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, saying its agents "aren't only gathering intelligence in all areas, but they are also trying to influence the development of the domestic political situation in our country."
Russian-British relations have been sliding, and they were strained further by last November's poisoning death in London of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko, a fierce Kremlin critic given asylum in Britain, accused Putin on his deathbed of being behind his polonium poisoning - charges the Kremlin has angrily denied.
Russia has rejected British demands for the extradition of the sole suspect in Litvinenko's murder, former KGB officer Andrei Lugovoi, who met with Litvinenko in a London hotel bar the day he fell ill. Putin dismissed the extradition demands as a relic of British "colonial thinking."
Patrushev said that his agency had learned how to counter British intelligence.
"We know both its strong and weak points," he said. "Since the times of Elizabeth I, (MI6) agents have been guided by the principle of the ways justifying the means. Money, bribery, blackmail, exemption from punishment for crimes committed are their main recruitment methods."
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



It''s not called "perfidious Albion" for nothing! The agents of the theocratic state of the UK has ever meddled in the internal affairs of other states--a hankering for the lost days of Empire. Now they''re whining about the Russians playing the same game. If the Brits hadn''ts suckered us into installing the Shah on the throne of Iran (there''s "democracy" in action, Brit style, for you), we''d be in a lot better place in the Middle East right now.
In their longing for the days they ruled the world, the Brits have lured the US into more than one misadventure with poor consequences. Time to rethink the blind obediance by the US to the snap of the Brit fingers.
Do not let Russia''s relative decline since the Soviet days mislead anyone; inside the Russian soul (not the one bushit purportedly saw) lives the strongest nationalist feelings.
It would be at our risk and peril to antagonize them.
Putting it simply in an american way: DONT TREAD ON ME
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Posted by delfmast at 08:28 AM : Oct 10, 2007
Ummmm...that is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many, many American Businesses doing the "cuddling up", delfmast.
People who are, by a great majority, Republicans.
LET ME GUESS! YOU''RE A RACIST IDIOT ?
Comments like yours make us ashamed to be on this site. Why don''t YOU leave and find kindred racist souls - move to Texas, if you aren''t already there ******.
Consider the following thoroughly unconstitutional Bush claims for a "unitary exective"-- (1) continued NSA spying on Americans, with token nod to a FISA court only after a certain period has elapsed (2) use of "signing statements" saying Bush will continue to ignore any law he pleases (3) suspension of habeas corpus-- a basic right-- upon Bush declaring anybody (including an American citizen) an "enemy combatant", adenying him legal counsel and judicial review of the case, even subjecting him to indefinite imprisonment and any torture deemed warranted (4) defiance of congress in its legislative oversight of the executive-- Bush telling his staffers and appointees to avoid exposure of illegal activity by stonewalling subpoenas, or claiming amnesia when questioned by congress (5) use of "national security letters" to bypass American courts and spy on political groups in this country directly, using the FBI (6) bogus claims about jeopardizing "state secrets" when any court attempts to try lawsuits on their merits.
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Those freedoms are in dire jeopardy because of your ignorant or unthinking support for Bush. While ignorance can be cured by education, blindness seems a matter of basic honesty.
See comment below on Bush''s wild misconceptions about presidenial authority, a naked grab for executive power he calls the "unitary executive". Bush has put these claims into impeachable practice.
As if Bush could not alienate enough Americans in and out of his own party, most Brits (whom you credit with great understanding of freedom) regard him as a dangerous fool, and Blair, his inept accomplice.
Posted by alphaa10 at 11:28 AM : Oct 10, 2007
Somebody out there in la-la land tell me how you personally have had your rights destroyed. As far as the honesty part...I think you need to look at Media Matters, MoveOn.org and the Daily Kos for the biggest bunch of lies ever put in print...or do you believe their lies and therefore are so paranoid. The reason Bush hasn''t been impeached is because he has not done an impeachable offense. I do not agree with everything the right says are does, I don''t vote along party lines, I vote for the best candidate. But over and over again the biggest group of people misrepresenting the facts and telling outright lies with hate filled speech is the far left.
USA1st
well, a friend in San Franciso called her friend (an american) living in Belgrade, Serbia, talking about weather, travel, etc. The woman in San Francisco suddenly couldn''t call out of the country. She checked with the telephone company who told her line was blocked. She asked why. No reason given. She got a lawyer and an answer: National security! Luckily she got money and is now going through the courts!!!
And that, my friend, is only one true story.
Bush has done everything short of directly attacking Russia to increase tensions and justify new military appropriations for the financial gain of his ''base'' the super-rich owners of the military-industrial complex.
It is about time.
Pushing too much on established population systems will inevitably result in blood baths and more sufferings to Humans. Walking-Liar, you and your administration are better revise all the strategies in the Middle-East, because Turkey will never accept this state of things and shall go hand-in-hand with Iran to kick our nicely refined butts out of that region.
Posted by sillywilly4 at 03:53 PM : Oct 10, 2007
-Willy how about politely knocking on their doors and offer them for commercial and diplomatic exchanges instead of sillily sneaking into their vital space from the backdoor!
-They have changed their stance over many things including hardship and communism and they left them in the back yard. Are we really in this big need to this practice of spying and CRUMBLING the partner who showed us a good will and good faith? Most Americans say we would like to be friendly to other peoples and use diplomatic channels in order to strike deals with them, not by installing missile systems at the doors of Russia....
-Just wondering who is deciding of this whole sh*t-stirring in the administration... He (she) ought to be accountable, personally! You know, back yards are never too far!
Wait, they''re multinational corporations and therefore are not relevant to any country''s status?
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by toolmangler-2009
October 11, 2007 2:24 PM PDT
- Wish I hadn''t sold that bomb shelter once the wall fell. Knew it was to good to be true.
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