REVIEW TOPICS:
Former chief of Estonian Defence Ministry’s State Secret Protection Department arrested for spying in favour of Russia
Simm’s case gives weight to need for changes, according to head of Estonia’s parliamentary commission on defence
Russia spies against Israel in favour of Syria - newspaper
Russia plans new provocations against Georgia as from October – online paper
Unregistered Baptists feel under pressure from state security service in Russia
Ukraine’s military intelligence checked Russian intentions to all intents and purposes
CIS Council of security services border troops commanders holds its meeting in Baku
Former high official of Azerbaijan Ministry of Interior returned to Ministry of National Security insulator
Former chief of Estonian Defence Ministry’s State Secret Protection Department arrested for spying in favour of Russia
A high-ranking officer of Estonia’s Defence Ministry has been arrested for spying in favour of a foreign country. News agency APA reports that this is the former Chief of Estonian Defence Ministry’s State Secret Protection Department Herman Simm. He reportedly gathered confidential materials and delivered to one of the foreign states. Herman Simm’s wife has also been accused of high treason and arrested. The official statement issued by the General Prosecutor’s Office of Estonia does not indicate on what state the detainees spied on.
News agency BNS reported quoting reliable sources that Estonian officer delivered confidential materials to Russia.
Former state official Herman Simm is taken under the guard on suspicion in high treason. According to State Prosecutor's Office, Simm gathered confidential data and transferred it to representatives of a foreign state. According to the request of the State Prosecutor's Office his spouse has been also detained and suspected in complicity to treason.
Daily Postimees reports, referring to the Press secretary of the State Prosecutor's Office, Gerrit Maesalu that the prosecutor's office does not give additional comments, proceeding from a specific character of the case. Simm has become the first person suspected in high treason in Estonia since 1991.
Agency BNS has informed, that Simm, according to unconfirmed data, is suspected of espionage in favour of Russia.
If the court recognizes Simm guilty of high treason, he may be sentenced to receive to imprisonment from 3 till 15 years.
The Simm’s case is conducted by State Office of Public Prosecutor and the Security Police of Estonia in cooperation with the Information department (Estonian foreign intelligence
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Herman Simm |
service) and the Ministry of Defence.
Simm worked in the Ministry of Defence since 1995, and in 2000 headed the department on protection of the state secrets with the task of organization and coordination of protection of state secrets in the ministry. Between 2001 and November, 2006, Simm was the plenipotentiary representative of the state security. Then the ministry reported that Simm would continue to work in the Ministry of Defence as an adviser.
In June, 2003, according to the order of Prime Minister Juhann Parts, Simm was issued a diplomatic passport valid till July 17, 2006. In the decree it is said that the diplomatic passport is given to Simm in connection with transportation of carriers of the coded information outside Estonia. Simm was the head of the Estonian delegations on conclusion of agreements on protection of the classified information with foreign countries and also represented Estonia in negotiations with corresponding structures of the EU and NATO.
Simm graduated from the Polytechnical Institute (university) in 1970 as a chemical manufacture and chemical cybernetics expert. Before arrival to the Ministry of Defence he worked in the Ministry of Interior as an inspector and the senior inspector on criminal cases, held different posts in the Department of police, and later headed it.
Heete Simm, taken under the guard on suspicion in complicity to high treason together with her spouse Herman Simm, since 1995 worked as a lawyer in the Department of police. The Press secretary of the Department of police, Tiia Sirelpuu, told daily Postimees that Heete Simm worked in the legal section of the department since 1995. In 2007 she retired, however, continued her work in the department. Today the Department of police will make a decision whether Heete Simm will keep her post in department in a view of the declared suspicions on fulfillment of crime.
Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo called the possible leakage of confidential data through the former ministry official, Herman Simm, as «deserving regret». According to avikso, even larger countries are not safeguarded for a contingency of similar cases. The minister did not specify how the size of a state is connected with effective protection of state secrets, the paper notes.
Simm’s case gives weight to need for changes, according to head of Estonia’s parliamentary commission on defence
According to chairman of the State Defense Commission of Riigikogu (parliament) of Estonia, Matti Raidma, the spy case of the former high-ranking Ministry of Defence official Herman Simm, suspected of high treason, has showed need for improvement of legislation and security system in Estonia, news portal ERR Uudiset reports..
"The laws on the state defense in peace time, which certainly were useful all the time are necessary to be reconsidered and made more effective as the security situation has been developing and changing", Raidma told ERR Uudised.
He said that suspicion against Simm is a serious case which can have an bilateral effect concerning confidence between Estonia and other states. "The negative fact is that the similar facts have been emerging, and the positive fact is that the state does deal with this matter. So this situation can really have biateral influence and it is difficult to comment on the level-pegging,” he said.
Russia plans new provocations against Georgia as from October – online paper
Russia is planning new provocations against Georgia, online paper Nasha Abkhazia reports. Referring to ‘auhentic sources’, the online media expands that from October 15 till October 20, under auspices of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), the Abkhazian and Ossetian separatist authorities will be showing territorial claims to the Georgian leadership.
According to the plan worked out by the FSB of Russia, Abkhazia will demand transfer of Tsalendzhikha-Chhorotsku area, and, in its turn, South Ossetia will demand transfer of Bakuriani-Borzhomi area under its control.
The absurd claims will be directed on showing the European Union that only the Russian troops are able to constrain the armed formations of separatists. Informal extremist groupings with an aim of organization of acts of sabotage in the territory of Georgia have been also prepared under direction of special services of the Russian Federation, Nasha Abkazia alleges.
Ukraine’s military intelligence checked Russian
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intentions to all intents and purposes
Analytical and operative data of the Ukrainian military intelligence is showing that no direct threat exists to the state at present, the chief of Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Major-General Viktor Gvozd, stated in an interview to the weekly Profil. Analyzing the consequences of the military conflict between Russia and Georgia in athe context of estimation of possible threats to Ukraine, Gvozd emphasized, "Our data, both analytical and operative testify that no direct threat for Ukraine exists. Also there is no need to fan the flames as it is not favourable for Ukraine".
The chief of the Ukrainian military intelligence also told that by results of tracking and the analysis of situation around the conflict, the Ukrainian military intelligence has prepared corresponding documents for the authorities. Gvozd expressed his hope that they will be considered at decision-making in the field of national defence.
"We have paid attention also to the fact that the Russian elite reproduces and imposes through mass media diferent scripts of development of situation that cannot be a condition for positive development of relations between the two states. Intention to transfer relationship between the establishment of the two countries on relations between the Ukrainians and the Russians in general has been causing the greatest concern", Major-General Gvozd ascertained.
Russia spying against Israel in favour of Syria - newspaper
Israel considers that Russia transfers to Syria intelligence data concerning the Jewish state gathered by the Russian agents in Israel. Through Syria and other channels the data are transferred also to Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, 7 Kanal.com reports, referring to reports which appeared last week from the Israeli military command environment.
According to daily Jedioth Ahronoth, referring to the Information security head of the Israeli army, Colonel Ram Dor, this information has been obtained in a rather sensitive moment in relationship between Israel and Russia while the Kremlin is negotiating arms supplies with Syria, and the Russian state-owned companies have been helping Iran to build the nuclear reactor in Busher. On the other hand, Russia complains of deliveries by Israel of weapons and training soldiers of the Georgian army before the recent military conflict for tearing away of South Ossetia from Georgia.
The spokesman of the Israeli counterintelligence told that, in his opinion, «intelligence potentialities of Russia have been covering almost all territory of Israel». He mentioned the Russian Navy ships in a Syrian sea-port and the Russian militaries who are engaged in electronic listening from the Syrian side of the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights.
‘The Syrians have been sharing the obtained information with Hezbollah, and on the contrary. It is known because we are able to build mirror reflection which shows us that the enemy knows about us,” the paper cites Colonel Dor. “So if the Russians help the Syrians to obtain information, and the Syrians constantly transfer this information to Hezbollah, it is logical to assume that the information gathered by the Russian intelligence also reaches the hands of Hezbollah».
The Russian officials have preferred to not make comments on this information. Thus Moscow denies its assistance to Syria and Iran to increase their offensive potential. According to the paper, the Israeli failure and success of Hezbollah in the war in 2006 is explained in the Israeli intelligence community with the access given to the Shia terrorist army to Russian intelligence data and the Russian weapons.
Unregistered Baptists feel under pressure from state security service in Russia
Baptist communities in different corners of Russia have experienced state harassment in recent months, Forum 18 News Service reports. This has included interrogation by the Federal Security Service (FSB), defamatory state television coverage, a warning for home worship, and a fine for preaching in public, says the news agency.
The congregations concerned all belong to the Baptist Council of Churches, which broke away from the Soviet-recognised Baptist Union in 1961 in protest at regulations preventing missionary activity and religious instruction to children. Its communities refuse on principle to register with the authorities in post-Soviet countries.
Two officers from Kurgan municipal FSB security service - as they introduced themselves - separately questioned church members Marina Kondakova and Galina Smetanina for four hours in the town of Yurgamysh about internal church matters, the Baptists report. The same evening, the FSB officers attended worship at the church's prayer house - a private home - where they placed their bags on a bench: "As it turned out, the service was secretly filmed." Then, repeated on regional state television over three days in late August, a program called "Criminal News" portrayed the Yurgamysh church "in a completely distorted light". There was no secret recording of the Baptists' service by either the FSB or state television on the Criminal News program, Kurgan Region's senior religious affairs official, Vladimir Ufimtsev, insisted to Forum 18 on 16 September.
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CIS Council of security services border troops commanders held its meeting in Baku
Chairman of the CIS Council’s of border guard troops Executive Board, General-Colonel Alexander Manilov, said at the press conference that delegations from 11 countries had attended the meeting and Georgian representatives couldn’t attend the meeting because of objective causes, news agency APA reports.
Manilov said they have discussed totally 24 issues, including current situation on the borders of CIS countries, illegal drug trafficking, results of joint border operations this year, terrorism and extremism and passed 31 decisions. The border guard services officials have decided to set up mobile reserves for adequate reaction to new challenges and threats and automatic system for information exchange. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Academy will prepare a program for protection of border security at the scientific level.
Manilov said no incident was noted on Azerbaijani-Russian border and terrorism, extremism and other illegal activities were combated. Speaking about the cooperation of the Council with the relative bodies of other international organizations, the General-Colonel announced that they would sign documents for cooperation with the European Union and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Chief of the Azerbaijan State Border Service General-Lieutenant Elchin Guliyev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev have been rewarded at the meeting with the badge for distinction in protection of CIS borders and for strengthening border cooperation.
Azerbaijan has an observer status in the activity of CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders, APA adds.
Former high official of Azerbaijan Ministry of Interior returned to Ministry of National Security insulator
The former head of department of Ministry of Interior of Azerbaijan, Zakir Nasirov, has been transferred from an corrective establishment to the insulator of the temporary detention of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan news agency APA reports, referring to Nadyrov’s lawyer Z. Nasyrova.
According to the lawyer, transfer of the prisoner to the Ministry of National Security insulator is connected with the process of investigation and no additional information is given in this occasion.
The former chief of department of the Ministry of Interior of Azerbaijan, Zakir Nasirov, is sentenced to life imprisonment, being accused in severe murders and kidnapping, APA adds.
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