REVIEW TOPICS:
Security Service of Ukraine arrested fugitive General accused of known journalist murder
Arrested General named names of journalist murder customers: Security Service of Ukraine
Order 65 granting Russian secret services new powers over citizens
Russia and Georgia exchanged rejection of diplomats with spying pretext
It is necessary to watch Russia closely, Latvian counterintelligence chief says
Russian President set forth main objectives of national security agencies
Macedonia coming closer to finalization of national intelligence database project
Security Service of Ukraine arrested fugitive General accused of known journalist murder
The former head of the Main criminal search department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Lieutenant-General Alexei Pukach was detained yesterday night in Zhitomir region of Ukraine by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) agents, TV channel Inter reports. Pukach has been already arrested.
According to the press service of the Prosecutor General Office, Pukach who has been accused of
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organization of murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000 was detained in one of the villages in Chudnov district of Zhitomir region.
In autumn 2003, Pukach was detained on the suspicion of destruction of documents about shadowing for reporter Gongadze in May-July 2000. After his release in November 2003 Pukach disappeared, MIGnews.com.ua expands.
The official version says that General Pukach was the main perpetrator of Gongadze’s murder.
According to the investigation, Pukach provided the Gongadze’s shadowing and was in charge of the group of officers who kidnapped the journalist on September 16, 2000 and took him out of Kiev to Sukholisy village, Bila Tserkva district of Kiev region. Pukach smothered the reporter and made his accomplices keeping silent about the crime that had been committed. Probably, he re-buried the body in the forestland situated in Tarashcha district, Kiev region.
Arrested General named names of journalist murder customers: Security Service of Ukraine
The former head of the Main criminal search department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Lieutenant-General Alexei Pukach who was detained yesterday night in Zhitomir region of Ukraine, has admitted his participation in murder of the known journalist Georgy Gongadze, news agency Interfax reports, referring to the deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasily Gritsak.
"Pukach confirmed his participation in fulfilment of this crime. He also confirmed participation of separate officials in the crime, there will be a lot of interesting information", Gritsak said at a briefing today.
Answering to the question of journalists whether Pukach named the customers of the crime, Gritsak replied positively.
Journalist Gongadze, known for criticisms to the leadership of Ukraine, disappeared in Kiev on September 16, 2000.
On November 28, 2000, the leader of Ukraine’s Socialist Party, the current speaker of the Supreme Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Alexander Moroz promulgated in the parliament audio recordings which, as he said, confirmed participation of the then President Leonid Kuchma to disappearance of the journalist, Interfax reports. These recordings were ostensibly made by the former state protection officer Nikolai Melnichenko in the office of Kuchma. There was a voice that resembled the Kuchma’s voice saying “to sort reporter out”, MIGnews.com.ua says. Though, authenticity of the recordings is not proved finally, Interfax adds.
Russia and Georgia exchanged rejection of diplomats with spying
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pretext
According to the Georgian broadcasting company Imedi, two Russian diplomats were refused entry to Georgia for work in the section of embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi, representing interests of the Russian Federation.
Imedi referred to the Secretary of Security Council of Georgia Eki Tkeshelashvili, reporting that Tbilisi had suspicions that these two Russian diplomats, sent to Georgia by way of rotation, could have relation to Russian intelligence services.
In response to this the Russian side expelled from Moscow two diplomats who worked in the Georgian section of embassy of Switzerland in the Russian Federation, including the consul of Georgia in Russia Zurab Pataradze.
The broadcasting company said the diplomatic incident had occurred two weeks ago. However, according to a diplomatic source of Russian news agency Interfax, the incident had happened back in April.
Order 65 granting Russian secret services new powers over citizens
AIA already wrote yesterday on the order of the Russian Ministry of Communications, effective as of July 21, which decrees that Russian postal services must make available for inspection on demand to the Federal Security Service (FSB) and seven other Russian security service agencies any private mail or shipments, as well as its exhaustive data on senders and addressees.
International media emphasize that the Kremlin has granted itself sweeping powers to spy on its own citizens after a new decree has given Russia's security services unlimited access to read all mail without a warrant. Eurasia Daily Monitor, devoting an article to the fact, marks that the Order 65 also cancels the privacy of electronic correspondence. Special rooms where security officers will be able to open and inspect private mail were decreed to be established at post offices, it adds.
Though Soviet or Russian security services never hesitated to intercept, monitor, inspect or confiscate private correspondence, nothing like Order 65 has ever occurred openly, formally or so blatantly -not even under Soviet rule, online magazine points out. These steps also prove that the authorities are using the crisis as an excuse to tighten up the police screws within their much desired totalitarian state, it concludes.
It also notes that the Order 65 contains no reference to making private correspondence available to the security services on the strength of a court decision. The Order leaves such decisions at the discretion of the security services, Eurasia Daily Monitor adds.
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Russian President set forth main objectives of national security agencies
At the meeting with Russia’s top security agency and military officers on July 20, Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev said the national armed forces must heed current and persisting threats, the Russian governmental newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta writes.
The Russian leader set forth the main objectives of national security agencies, according to the daily. The Federal Security Service (FSB) was ordered to fight terrorism, to streamline the border infrastructure and to conduct counter-intelligence operations at strategic facilities. The National Counterterrorist Committee must more effectively coordinate security agency operations. The Kremlin expects the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) to assess potential threats and the global situation. The Federal Migration Service should streamline migrant quota mechanisms.
President Medvedev called on the Interior Ministry to more actively fight extremism, prevent juvenile crime and streamline the neighborhood police service. He said the Federal Service for Drug Control must more actively prevent illicit drug trafficking, eliminate drug connections and expose drug funding schemes, Rossiiskaya Gazeta notes.
Social security for security services and military personnel is another high-priority issue, according to the paper. President Medvedev is quoted as saying that an improved system of social guarantees and housing construction are "an absolute priority that cannot be changed, regardless of the situation."
It is necessary to watch Russia closely, Latvian counterintelligence chief says
General Janis Kazocins, the head of Latvia’s Constitution Protection Bureau, considers that it is necessary to closely watch Russia, Riga-based Russian-language daily Chas
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reports.
"For Latvia it is important to understand what policy does Russia implement as regards the former Soviet Union republics because it is the direction which can create instability. We observed in the most open kind what was going on when there was an attack against Georgia", the paper cites Kazocins. "It means that we must have clearness what is gong on there, and we have to follow the developments there because there is certain similarity in how Russia has been carrying out its policy of compatriots in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and how Russia has been carrying out its policy of compatriots in the Crimea, Moldova and the Baltic States. It would be a mistake to consider that it does not concern us".
The parliament members from the leftist opposition consider Kazocins’statement a kind of PR-campaign, Chas notes.
“Each state structure is willing to show that it is irreplaceable. The secret services is no exception. They have been frightening everybody almost with war. How otherwise they can avoid reductionof personnel and salaries?” the paper cites parliament member Yury Sokolovsky.
The Russian embassy in Latvia has reserved its opinion on the statement made by the Latvian counterintelligence chief, Chas adds.
Macedonia coming closer to finalization of national intelligence database project
The Administration Board session of the Project for implementing a National Intelligence Database of Macedonia has been held in Skopje, news agency Makfax reports.
The session examined the final version of the studies on project’s realization. The working out of the study has been one of the conditions imposed by the European Union for setting a date for the beginning of the talks over Macedonia’s accession in the Union, the news agency comments.
The chairperson of the management board is the Minister of Interior, while its members are senior police officials, heads of the customs, the fight against money laundering directorate, public revenues office and public attorneys in charge of fight against organized crime and corruption, news agency expands.
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