REVIEW TOPICS:
GRU Chief did not participate at Russia Ministry of Defence board session today
Illegal Estonian and Latvian border crossings on the rise, Russia’s FSB says
In Simm’s case, Estonia did not lose its own secrets
SBU Chairman denies allegations on participation of Ukrainians in war in Caucasus
SBU to protect interests of Ukrainian state in dispute with RosUkrEnergo company
Ukraine’s Communist Party has no intention to initiate dismissal of SBU Chairman
Head of Presidential Secretariat asks Security Service of Ukraine to investigate non-existent forum affair
GRU Chief did not participate at Russia Ministry of Defence board session today
The Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Army, Army General Valentin Korabelnikov does not participate today in Moscow at the expanded session of board of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, news agency Interfax reports. The Supreme Commander, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev was present at the session; Minister of Defence Alecander Serdyukov made a report on the military reform at the session. General Korabelnikov is on holiday and does not participate at the session of the board", a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence told news agency Interfax-AVN.
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| Valentin Korabelnikov |
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The official did not make comments on the reportse of mass media that General Korabelnikov has written an official report on resignation from service because of disagreement with the planned plans of reforming of the Main Intelligence Directorate. The GRU of the General Staff is intended to be reduced from a powerful centralized structure to a set of district departments, as Fibo-Forex online bulletin puts it.
AIA yesterday cited the member of Russian parliamentary defense committee Igor Puzanov who stated that Army General Korabelnikov, dissatisfied with the reform, «has already served out his term under the law, law, he was on prolongation and now pensions-off in an absolutely natural way». Indirectly on the website of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation it is regarded as acknowledgement of reports about forthcoming leaving from the post by Korabelnikov, and also that the reforming of special-task divisions has been carried out without his consent.
According to the law, the age of the higher commanders of the Russian Armed Forces should not exceed 60 years, though separate exceptions can be made; today the term of service is certain in 65 years. According to open sources, Korabelnikov was born on January 4, 1946, and is 63 years old. Korabelnikov became the GRU chief in May, 1997. He was promoted to rank of Army General in 2003. In contrast to his contemporaries and colleagues at the FSB, Korabelnikov did not speak frequently in public or to members of the press.
Argumenty nedeli wrote that Korabelnikov’s deputies had refused the offer to hold his post; this reportedly was the reason why the General’s official report on resignation was not signed for some time. It is said that the new director of the military intelligence, most likely, will be deprived of the right of weekly reporting to the President of Russia.
As concerns the GRU reform, it is not the first lately. In April, 2006, it became known about transformation of to intelligence service’s directorates of the Air Force, the Navy and the Land forces into departments with appropriating reduction of their number and subordination directly to the GRU. Besides, the training of the Spetsnaz was transferred to the military intelligence.
Illegal Estonian and Latvian border crossings on the rise, Russia’s FSB says
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported attempts of residents of third countries to illegally cross the Russian border with Estonia and Latvia increasing recently, The Baltic Times writes today.
Citizens of Iran, China, Vietnam and Syria among such border crossing persons, have been detained, the FSB Pskov border service official told Interfax news agency. About 12 citizens of Vietnam not carrying official documents were recently found in the village of Novo-Izborsk. Their aim was to move on from Russia where they would have been used as cheap labor.
A representative of the Russian border guard said that this tendency was due to the accession of Estonia and Latvia to the Schengen treaty, which makes them an attractive destination country from where it is easy to move on to other countries that are also part of the Schengen zone.
In Simm’s case, Estonia did not lose its own secrets
Russia till now has not commented in any way on the case of its Foreign Inteligence Service spy Herman Simm, the former high-ranking Estonian Defence Ministry official who was recognized guilty of high treason and espionage, daily Postimees writes. However, Estonia might be much more important state than it is considered to be, the paper marks.
«Estonia has always caused interest in the Russian secret services as it has been considered that Estonia is more active than other Baltic states. It is also considered that Estonia is used as a bridgehead for intelligence services of other countries, in particular, intelligence of the United Kingdom», ERR Novosti is quoting the editor-in-chief of the online paper Agentura.ru Andrei Soldatov as saying.
According to him, in the Simm’s case Estonia appeared in an inconvenient situation as it had lost not its own secrets. «In this particular case Estonia acted as a sluice and Estonia needed to show somehow, certainly, to the countries of NATO that the mode of security would be strengthened, we would undertake all efforts, we would rigidly reply to similar things. That is, they needed to somehow justify themselves», Soldatov is assured.
The member of the State Duma of Russia from the Liberal-Democratic party (LDPR) Andrei Lugovoy, who received scandalous popularity owing to the Litvinenko murder case, believes that espionage stories in the Baltic states have been more often used by political opponents against each other.
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Valentin Nalyvaychenko (L) |
Ukraine’s Communist Party has no intention to initiate dismissal of SBU Chairman
The parliamentary faction of the Communist Party of Ukraine has no intention to raise the issue of dismissal of the Security Service of Ukraine head Valentin Nalyvaychenko, leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine Petr Symonenko told reporters, according to RIA Novosti.
Today in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine), the SBU chairman presents his report before the parliament members. «First we need to hear his report. I would like to hear the most important thing, the recognition that the Security Service today has ceased to protect the national interests of Ukraine and has become ‘a cover”. Such recognition would open the way for radical changes in the SBU», said Simonenko.
He alleged that today the SBU had turned into an archival department which does not shun use of false documents for falsification of historic facts. This is how Simonenko referred to the fact that in a photo-exhibition devoted to the Great Famine in the 1930s, held by the Security Service, a photo of the times of Great depression in the United States and a picture of starving people in Russia’s Volga region had appeared on the stands.
At the same time, said Simonenko, as regards Nalyvaychenko in particular, today «there are no proposals on his dismissal».
SBU Chairman denies allegations on participation of Ukrainians in war in Caucasus
Citizens of Ukraine did not participated in the Russian-Georgian warfare in August, 2008, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentin Nalyvaychenko stated, presenting in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine today the report on the SBU’s work, news agency RIA Novosti reports.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has declared that it possesses proofs about participation of citizens of Ukraine in structure of air defence of Georgia and military operations against Russian troops in Georgia in August, 2008. It was said that the citizens of Ukraine, experts on application and operation of complexes Buk-1 and Osa were among those Ukrainians.
«The citizens of Ukraine have been defamed. They never left for warfare in Georgia and did not accept participation in military operations there», the SBU head said. Thus he noted that now the SBU have been investigating whence there was an information on participation of Ukraine’s citizens in the military conflict. «This case is not completed yet, we have been investigating it», he said.
SBU to protect interests of Ukrainian state in dispute with RosUkrEnergo company
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) will promote protection of interests of the state in dispute on accessory of 11 billion cubic metres of gas located in the Ukrainian underground storehouses, news agency RIA Novosti reports from Kiev. The news agency refers to the statement of Valentin Nalyvaychenko, the SBU chairman who delivered a report in the parliament today.
The SBU in the beginning of March has brought a criminal case about obtaining by the Naftogaz Ukrainy of transit gas the rights on which were shown by the Swiss trader RosUkrEnergo. The SBU investigators on March 4, supported by the special-task unit Alpha, tried to get in the main offcie of the Naftogaz Ukrainy originals of the contracts signed with Russia’s Gazprom. The SBU investigatory actions were suspended by court, however, later the SBU managed to receive the documents from the government. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko supports Naftogaz Ukrainy in this conflict, while President Viktor Yushchenko supports the SBU.
The SBU earlier arrested the employee of Power customs Taras Shepitko who cleared the transit gas that earlier belonged to RosUkrEnergo, in favour of Naftogaz Ukrainy. Shepitko has been released on March 5.
«11 billion cubes of gas are in our underground storehouses. The Naftogaz has got the property right to this gas. In this question the SBU will promote protection of interests of the state», announced Nalyvaychenko.
Head of Presidential Secretariat asks Security Service of Ukraine to investigate non-existent forum affair
The head of Ukraine’s Presidential Secretariat Viktor Baloga has asked the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to investigate the background of distribution of counterfeit tickets for a so-called anti-recessionary forum with alleged participation of the state top officials, news agency RIA Novosti reports, referring to the press service of the President of Ukraine.
According to the press-service, counterfeit tickets for an anti-recessionary forum which even has not been planned at all have been distributed and sold in Ukraine on behalf of a private enterprise Teatralnoye Agentstvo Premyer.
“The head of Secretariat of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Baloga, addressed the SBU with the request to clear out the situation with distribution of tickets for a so-called anti-recessionary forum at participation of the top leaders of the state”, the press-release of the presidential press service says.
The press service also marks that Yushchenko’s Secretariat “has no relation to activity of the private enterprise Teatralnoye Agentsvo Premyera. The press service considers that distribution of counterfeit tickets has criminal implied sense. “The law enforcement agencies should immediately stop the swindle which its initiators have been trying to realize covering with the name of the head of state”, the press—release marks.
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