REVIEW TOPICS:
Russia lifts counter-terrorism security regime in Chechen republic
Russia’s Federal Security Service official warns about threat of Afghan terrorists
Estonia’s Russian association does not agree with estimation of their activity by security services
Ukraine’s Security Service head against mass selling traumatic weapons
Sale of radioactive materials needed to make 'dirty bomb' prevented in Ukraine
Bulgarian Parliament sets up commission to probe into drog lord’s case
Serbs carried out coup d’etat in Moldova, President Voronin claims
New heads of Romania’s Intelligence and Internal Protection Directorate General and Bucharest Police appointed
New heads of Romania’s Intelligence and Internal Protection Directorate General and Bucharest Police appointed
Hungary’s Prime Minister to stick with secret service nominee despite parliamentary committee's rejection
Russia lifts counter-terrorism security regime in Chechen republic
The National Antiterrorism Committee of the Russian Federation has officially ended the tight antiterrorism regime in the Chechen Republic launched a decade ago, news agencies are reporting today. The decision to end it was taken by President Dmitry Medvedev, said the committee's spokesman. The special security regime has allowed it to enforce military-style restrictions there for the past decade, the security body said in a statement, RIA Novosti says. Restrictions such as curfews, roadblocks, spot searches and arbitrary detention were imposed in
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| Chechen Republic on map |
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Chechnya in 1999 when Russia sent troops to the region to end its short-lived independence, won in an earlier war with Moscow.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has welcomed the decision and said that the republic will be marking April 16 as a holiday from this year on, TV channel Russia Today reports. He stressed however that Russian troops would remain in Chechnya, amid intermittent clashes between rebels and government forces that have continued despite the end of major combat operations in 2000.
Gennady Gudkov from Russia's State Duma security committee told the TV channel that the military part of the operation was over but the restrictions had remained. “The residents were living on Russian territory, with equal rights and opportunities as Russians, but they didn’t feel they were equal.”
Military expert Viktor Litovkin told Russia Today the situation in Chechnya had become more or less stable; law enforcement agencies were stronger now.
Kremlin opponents say the special regime, which also includes restricted access for journalists, has fostered huge violations of human rights in the region. The Moscow Times writes that today, Ramzan Kadyrov sets his own political agenda and allows public debate and even criticism of the Federal Security Service and Rosneft -- normally considered "sacred cows" by the Kremlin. According to analyst Sergei Markedonov, Kadyrov has exploited his free reign on many occasions -- by pushing opponents such as former Chechen President Alu Alkhanov and the Yamadayev brothers out of the way, granting his own form of amnesty to former insurgents and reducing Russia's military presence on Chechen soil.
Russia’s Federal Security Service official warns about threat of Afghan terrorists
At a security conference of members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Moscow, a high-ranking official of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that terrorist groups brewing in the region of the Afghan-Pakistani border were one of the biggest threats to the national security of Russia and its allies in the region, according to TV channel Russia Today.
“Despite the effort of the international coalition in Afghanistan, terrorist groups have managed to rebuild their potential under the flag of Al-Qaeda, which has strengthened its role as an international coordinator of terrorism,” Colonel General Alexei Sedov, who heads the FSB’s task force tackling terrorism threats, told Russia Today.
According to the FSB official, the NATO-led operation failed to take into account cultural and regional specifics of the region, which lead to spiraling insurgency.
General Sedov mentioned several terrorist organisations as posing the worst threat towards Russia, including the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan. The unfolding global economic crisis may contribute to surge of terrorism across the world, the counter-terrorism expert warned.
Sedov said terrorists and extremists are gaining proficiency with cyberwarfare and may be planning cyberattacks on official organizations and private companies, which deal with vulnerable objects of infrastructure.
“There is information that terrorists use the Internet to simulate attacks on specific locations and to subtly coordinate actions of different cells,” he said. “Terrorist materials are published in more than 40 languages. Analysts believe that for, say, Al-Qaeda, survival of its ideology is far more important that the survival of individual members of the organization, and the Internet as it is now is a perfect means of propaganda.” Sedov added that the increasing expertise that terrorist organisation have in IT poses a ‘principally new threat’, according to Russia Today.
Estonia’s Russian association does not agree with
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Russian-speaking rioters beat a passer-by, reportedly an Estonian, during the night of looting and vandalism in Tallinn, April 28, 2007. |
estimation of their activity by security services
The Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots of Estonia today expressed disagreement with the estimation of their activity by the Security Police of Estonia (KaPo) and accused the security services of incompetence, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.
AIA reported yesterday that in the KaPo’s annual report it is marked that the Russian compatriots in Estonia is "the fifth column" and the major instrument of Russia in maintenance of the anti-Estonian moods. KaPo names the Russian Centre, opened by the Russian fund Russian World last year in Tallinn, " a possible jumping-off place for rendering influence on not strong minds of compatriots".
In the statement of the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots of Estonia, received today by the news agency RIA Novosti, it is spoken about continuation of opposition between the civil society of Estonia and its security services.
"The position of KaPo seems especially strange in a view of signing this year an interstate agreement between Russia and Estonia on cultural cooperation. The fact that the Estonian security services are getting involved in the ideological and cultural life of the Estonian society, not being competent in this question, is worth of regret, and as a matter of fact, they follow the path of serving the interests of right-radical forces of the governmental coalition", the statement says.
According to the authors of the document, one of the reasons of the security service’s negative emotions in connection with activity of the Russian compatriots organizations in Estonia is that "these associations have always supported good-neighbourhood and close economic relations with Russia”.
Ukraine’s Security Service head against mass selling traumatic weapons
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentin Nalyvaychenko opposes initiative of the Interior Ministry to permit citizens buying weapons of traumatic action. "I oppose this. I consider professionals should defend people", online paper MIGnews.com.ua cites Valentin Nalyvaychenko.
To his mind, such permission will hardly improve security in the country. "I think police has a main priority now – struggle against crime in the streets. I think it is necessary to intensify work of patrol services in problem districts", noted the SBU Chairman. He considers a law-abiding citizen will not be able to shoot at someone, according to daily Ukrayinski novyny.
MIGnews.com.ua reported that Justice Ministry of Ukraine opposed initiative of Interior Ministry to permit citizens buying traumatic weapons. On April 2, Minister of the Interior of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko claimed Justice Ministry and the Verkhovna Rada delayed with considering the bill on permission to purchase traumatic weapons, online paper adds.
Sale of radioactive materials needed to make 'dirty bomb' prevented in Ukraine
The Ukrainian authorities announced that the security services arrested three men last month who were attempting to sell nearly four kilograms of radioactive material. In a statement, the Ukrainian Security Service said it had determined that the radioactive material was produced in Russia before the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 and might have been smuggled into Ukraine from a nearby country.
It was a member of the western region of Ternopil regional legislature who attempted to sell a container, filled with a radioactive substance, for $10 million, and there were two local businessmen involved, according to the Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) Chairman Valentin Nalyvaychenko who spoke at a news briefing in Kiev, Kyiv Post reports.
On April 9, 2009, following a special undercover operation in Ternopil region, the Security Service detained three citizens and seized a container filled with a radioactive substance from them, Nalyvaychenko said. This substance could be used by terrorists for making a so-called "dirty bomb," he added. The three persons had been planning to sell this container for $10 million, as they were sure the container was filled with 3.672 kilograms of the nuclear material, plutonium 239.
Marina Ostapenko, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Security Service, said a preliminary analysis indicated that the material was most likely americium, a much more common and less potent radioactive material, Ostapenko said in a telephone interview. She said americium could be deployed in a dirty bomb but not in a nuclear weapon.
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| Cover character Jocic |
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Bulgarian Parliament sets up commission to probe into drug lord’s case
Bulgarian Parliament approved forming of an investigative panel tasked to investigate the case involving the Balkan drug lord Sreten Jocic, a.k.a. Joca Amsterdam, news agency Makfax reports.
The investigative commission is due to investigate the allegations relating Jodi's protection by the Bulgarian secret service during his several-year stay in this country.
Last week, Sreten Jocic told a Belgrade court he enjoyed protection of high-ranking officials while staying in Bulgaria, citing the names of a number of Bulgarian public figures, including the then Interior Chief Secretary Boyko Borissov, who was later elected Sofia mayor.
In his statement before the court, Jocic also claimed that he acted upon orders of the Slobodan Milosevic's regime while lobbying at the Macedonian, Bulgarian and Romanian authorities to be flexible in terms of the international sanctions imposed on the then SR Yugoslavia in 1992.
"I was helping the Serbian government in procurement of technical means, energy resources and humanitarian aid. In Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania I lobbied for 'more flexible' attitude toward the sanctions against SRY. It was a common agreement that no-one should profit from patriotic acts like this one, however, in 1994 it became obvious to me that individual members of the Party were generating profit from these actions," Jocic said in his defense in the trial that started on 7 April, 2009 in Belgrade.
Jocic also said that his escape to Bulgaria was prompted by the personal conflict with the former head of the Serbian Police, Radovan Stojicic.
Sreten Jocic was arrested in Bulgaria in June 2002 and extradited in August the same year to the Netherlands. Due to lack of evidence, the Netherlands agreed to hand the suspected mobster over to Serbia in 2006. In Serbia, his native country, he is accused of executing ordered murders of two police officers.
Serbs carried out coup d’etat in Moldova, President Voronin claims
President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin claims that nine Serb nationals took part in organising the coup e’etat in Chisinau, adding that the Moldavian secret service has information that the unrests were headed by former ‘resistance’ fighters, the Press reported.
President Voronin said he had a photograph of a Serbian citizen who he claims is working for the Americans.
According to information by Moldavian media, police are preparing to arrest three Serbs and their names are to be published.
Danko Cosic from Serbia, the director of a non-governmental organisation Prokoncept, who was an observer in Moldavia during the elections, said that the country does not even have nine Serbs in it, online edition of Javno reports. He also said that the story of President Voronin is very illogical as nine Serbs could not organise a riot.
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Aurel Smochina |
New heads of Romania’s Intelligence and Internal Protection Directorate General and Bucharest Police appointed
Chief Commissar Aurel Smochina has been appointed as Chief of Division at the Intelligence and Internal Protection Directorate General (DGIPI), having been the deputy to the director general of the Police Directorate General of the City of Bucharest (DGPMB), a press release by the Ministry of Administration and Interior of Romania says.
Referring to Agerpres news agency, Nine O’Clock reporting on replacements in the security forces sector notes that Chief-Commissar Mihai Calinescu was yesterday appointed as head of the Bucharest Police. Previously, Calinescu had been deputy to the inspector general of the Romanian Police.
Chief-Commissar Aurel Smochina had co-ordinated the activity of the Police Directorate General of the City of until Calinescu’s appointment.
Hungary’s Prime Minister
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| Adam Ficsor |
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to stick with secret service nominee despite parliamentary committee's rejection
Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai is sticking to the nomination of Adam Ficsor as minister in charge of secret services, despite the a parliamentary committee's rejection of Ficsor earlier yesterday, the government spokeswoman said according to news agency MTI.
Bernadett Budai said the committee's support of a minister's nomination is not a legal requirement for the appointment.
Ficsor is a Socialist who headed former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's cabinet. Ficsor's nomination was rejected in a vote of five in support and five against, while one member, a delegate of the liberal opposition Free Democrats who hold the power of balance in parliament, abstained, MTI notes.
Meanwhile MTI reports also that the Secret Service minister without portfolio Gyorgy Szilvasy is among four members of Hungary's outgoing government who are entitled to severance pay. He is to receive HUF 7.8 million or about EUR 27,000, according to news agency.
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