REVIEW TOPICS:
Poland sees expansion in Russian spying network
Russian chief spymaster did not expect question about a MI6 agent
FSB chief: some 16 terrorist attacks prevented in northwest Russia in 2007
Russian FSB links dead Chechen gunman to 1999 apartment bombings
Russia's Federal Security Service rescues Uzbek slaves
Azerbaijan’s Security Ministry neutralizes transnational criminal gang
Widow of the Lithuanian security officer who died Belarus asks to renew investigation
Romanian Intelligence Service Committee gives ruling in Codlea case
New head of Bulgaria’s Security, Military Police and Military Counter-Intelligence to be proposed till next Monday
Poland sees expansion in Russian spying network
| |
|
 |
|
| Antoni Macierewicz |
|
Poland has accused Russia of building up a covert network of agents, news agency RIA Novosti reported from Warsaw, referring to the country's military intelligence chief Antoni Macierewicz.
The high-ranking security official said Poland had not seen as many Russian spies since the Cold War era.
"Penetration by Russian [intelligence] services and secret agents in Poland has grown substantially, especially in the past few years," he said in an interview with the Gazeta Polska weekly. He also marked that the increase in agents in Poland is demonstrated by their relentless search for new sources of information, and aggressive tactics, among other things.
Macierewicz said a report recently released by Polish security services lists 800 military servicemen who received training at Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) when Poland was a member of the Warsaw Pact, according to RIA Novosti. Russian secret services have made no comment on Macierewicz' claims as yet.
Russian chief spymaster did not expect question about a MI6 agent
Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev, while answering reporters’ questions after a meeting of the National Anti-Terror Committee in Kaliningrad, did not expect a question about a Russian citizen, who allegedly was recruited by the MI6 and recently gave him away, news agency Regnum reports. As the agency’s correspondent was told by the colleagues, all questions were written by the reporters in advance and handed over to the committee’s press center, and the questions did not include the one about the MI6 agent.
However, when the briefing started, Ilya Stulov, a special correspondent for Izvestia newspaper, asked the FSB director about the allegedly recruited Russian. “On hearing this question, Patrushev looked at me and smiled cunningly,” Stulov told the Regnum correspondent.
The FSB head noted that “the MI6 agent came to us on his own will and reported about his cooperation.” “I think that later a criminal proceeding will be started on it. The investigation department is now occupied with it. We do not have to make it public immediately; we need to clear it up. And then we will inform the public on it, [we shall] not conceal anything,” news agency is quoting Patrushev as saying.
AIA already reported that the FSB press centre reported that “the citizen, whose name has not been disclosed yet, told us he had been recruited in London by MI6 intelligence officers.” According to an FSB spokesman, the man disclosed certain names if the MI6 agents, described in detail in what European countries, cities and hotels they appointed secret meetings to him; he also reported what tasks were posed to him by the British intelligence officers.
FSB chief: some 16 terrorist attacks prevented in northwest Russia in 2007
Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Nikolai Patrushev has praised the work of the National Anti-terrorist Committee (NAC) regional branches in the Northwestern Federal District, Interfax-AVN news agency reports from Kaliningrad. "Overall, we praise the efforts to prevent terrorist attacks in the Northwestern Federal District. However, what alarms us is that the second quarter of this year has seen a significant increase in such instances," Patrushev is quoted by the agency as saying.
Five attacks were thwarted in the first quarter and eleven in the second, he marked. "This shows a certain amount of activity that must be smashed by regional anti-terrorist commissions and headquarters," the FSB director said. The number of committed and prevented terrorist attacks has fallen each year, while the number of terrorist attacks worldwide is growing and reached 14,000 in 2006, according to Patrushev.
Russian FSB links dead Chechen gunman to 1999 apartment bombings
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said a militant killed in an operation in the North Caucasus this morning was involved in apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk, southern Russia, in 1999, news agency RIA Novosti reports.
The man, Ruslan Odizhev, was shot during a ‘special operation’ in Nalchik, the capital of Russia's Kabardino-Balkarian Republic close to the Chechen Republic.
"We have established that Ruslan Odizhev was an active member of the republic's religious and extremist community and was the spiritual leader of the so-called Jamaat Yarmuk [local extremist] group... he was also involved in the apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk," the FSB representative is quoted by the news agency as saying. The FSB said Odizhev had fought for the Taleban in Afghanistan and been held at the US military base in Guantanamo.
The security service also said the man had been on the wanted list for allegedly taking part in an armed attack on Nalchik in October 2005 when a large group of armed separatists attacked the city killing 35 policemen and 12 civilians, and wounding over 100. The police struck back the following day, killing 92 militants and dispersing others. The FSB also said Odizhev was a mastermind behind an armed rebellion in Kabardino-Balkaria, which was foiled in 2001, RIA Novosti adds.
Russia's Federal Security Service rescues Uzbek slaves
Officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Orel oblast have freed 18 citizens of Uzbekistan who were being held as slaves, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service reported.
FSB spokeswoman Marina Kostikova said the Uzbeks had their documents taken from them and were forced to work "practically 24 hours a day with no days off," and those who tried to escape were beaten.
Four of the Uzbeks finally succeeded in escaping and informed local authorities, according to RFE/RL.
Azerbaijan’s Security Ministry neutralizes transnational criminal gang
Azerbaijan’s National Security Ministry neutralized a transnational criminal gang, news agency APA reports, referring to the ministry’s public affairs centre. The gang illegally copied data from ATM and withdrew large amount of money (AZN 80,000) from ATMs in Azerbaijan and abroad using counterfeit plastic cards. The detainees – Israeli born in Baku Vladislav Basin, Azerbaijanis Fakhraddin Suleymanov, Shain Maharramov, chief of Khirdalan branch of International Bank of Azerbaijan Bashir Hajiyev and others copied the data of ATMs in Baku and got an access to financial system of the banks in the country. They withdrew money from bank accounts of different people using counterfeit plastic cards, according tot the news aagency. The group members could install SKIMMER brought from Bulgaria in the keyboards of different banks. They sent the copies of the electronic data in these ATMs, bank accounts ad PIN codes to the criminal gangs engaged in transnational crimes.
It is known to the APA from the National Security Ministry materials, that the gang’s members abroad made about 250 counterfeit plastic cards basing on these data and sent to Vladislav Basin. On 6 May 2007, Vladislav Basin arrived in Baku from Tel-Aviv in order to discuss the setting up of new SKIMMER equipment, the photo pictures of the most modern cash machines of Baku were transmitted abroad, news agency Trend adds. The gang’s members abroad and Basin withdrew different amounts of money from the bank accounts in Azerbaijani banks in ATMs in Baku, Spain, Latvia and Lithuania. Special operation plan was prepared by the security service and the gang was neutralized.
National Security Ministry Head Investigation Department has launched criminal case on articles 271.2.1 (illegal access to computer data by a group of men), 271.2.2 (illegal access to computer data by an official) and 271.2.3 (causing great amount of damage) of the criminal code; necessary investigative actions are being carried out on the fact. Taking into account the results of the investigations on such crimes, activities are being carried out by the National Security Ministry to prevent these crimes in Azerbaijan, APA marks.
Widow of the Lithuanian security officer who died Belarus asks to renew investigation
The widow of Vytautas Pociunas, the Lithuanian state security officer who died in mysterious circumstances in Grodno, Belarus, on August 23, 2006, Ludvika Pociunene, has addressed the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Lithuania with the request for renewal of pre-judicial investigation on the fact of her husband’s death, news agency ELTA reports.
Pociunene claims that the investigation has not answered some questions. "Closely having reviewed the case, I have found the questions that were left without answers. Some details are not cleared out that is not mentioned in the conclusions", - Pociunene told in an interview to Lithuanian public radio.
Doubts of the widow of Vytautas Pociunas have been caused by the results of the microresearches: fabrics belonging to other person were found under officer’s nails. The found particles do not belong to anybody from the company in which the officer had spent his last evening. However, complex biomechanical research has not shown that Pociunas "had been helped" to drop out of a hotel window. Experts did not found out any poisons or drugs in Pociunas’ organism. Conclusions of the Lithuanian experts were confirmed with the toxicologists of the Helsinki university. The same conclusions were presented by the Belarus side, ELTA adds.
Romanian Intelligence Service Committee gives ruling in Codlea case
The Romanian parliamentary commission for the control of the Romanian Intelligence Service approved yesterday the report in the Codlea case, news agency Mediafax reported. The commission ruled that there is no evidence to indicate any political police actions being taken.
Radu Stroe, the president of the Romanian Intelligence Service, said that the report in the Codlea case was enacted by common agreement, and is to be sent to the presidents of the two Chambers of Parliament. Then, the report is to be introduced on the daily agenda of the meeting of the Standing Offices. Stroe said that possible sanctions would be discussed in the Standing Offices of the two chambers of Parliament, in the presence of the director of the Romanian Intelligence Service and the members of the SRI committee, Mediafax concluded.
Mihai Florian Codlea was named Interim Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service in July, 2006. A year ago a scandal broke out in Romania owing to claims of the Romanian Intelligence Service – SRI that the outbreak of bird flu at a poultry farm in Brasov county in Central Romania was sparked by infected poultry imported from the Hungary ands Slovakia.
New head of Bulgaria’s Security, Military Police and Military Counter-Intelligence to be proposed till next Monday
Defense Minister of Bulgaria Vesselin Bliznakov will propose to Prime Minister Stanishev a project for the appointment of a new head of the Security, Military Police and Military Counter-Intelligence Service, FOCUS News Agency reported. At a press conference on occasion of the trilateral war games Danube Sentry 2007 at the National Military Training Complex Charalitsa Minister Bliznakov noted the service has enough experienced people to fulfill these duties, the agency notes.
The minister also announced at the conference that as of July 1 salaries of soldiers from the National Guards will be raised, FOCUS News Agency says.
Previous review
List of daily reviews
Main Page | News Page | 007 News | Print
|
