Russian version
 |
|
| Russian embassy in Bagdad |
|
Yesterday's capture of diplomats in Iraq became in many respects a result of the general loosening of positions of the Russian secret services in the country. Their agents potentialities are rather limited in the environment of numerous parties, religious movements and militarized groupings that have flooded the country during the last years...
The capture of the employees of the Russian embassy in Baghdad has occured first of all owing to serious faults in the of work of Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Russia. It is the “Department K” of the SVR that is under the responsibility of providing personal safety of the Russian diplomats abroad, especially in such “hot spots” as nowadays Iraq.
In the daytime on June, 3 unknown armed people in two cars blocked the car with five employees of the Russian embassy. As a result of the attack one of them, Vitaly Titov, has received fatal wound and has been thrown out of the car on the thoroughfare. Four others have appeared captured by the terrorists. Among them there was the third secretary of embassy. In the evening on June, 3 many western and Arabian mass-media outlets have informed on release of the Russians by local security services. However those reports have been disproved by the Russian Embassy, referring to the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq.
The terrorist attack has occured in the distance of 400 meters from the building Russian diplomatic mission in the quarter of El-Mansour, in the western part of the Iraqi capital. Other foreign representations, and also offices of some of the major commercial companies are situated here, too. The basic population of the quarter is made up by the Sunnis. El-Mansour is considered to be one of the most prestigious and relatively safe areas of Bagdad. At the same time, more than once foreigners have been captured here, including diplomats. The last of such cases has occurred on May, 16 when the consul of the UAE was captured and his driver was shot dead by the terorists.
Until now the employees of the Russian embassy were an exception. From the beginning of the war in Iraq they have been involved only in two incidents, not connected with an activity of terrorists. The first has occured in March, 2003. Then robbers have tried to attack the buildings, near to the Russian embassy, but have been pushed off by the Iraqi government’s guards. The second incident took place in April, 2003 when the American servicemen fired at the column of the embassy cars on the way to Syria. As a result the Iraqi security guards of the diplomats were killed, and the personal driver of the Russian ambassador received two bullet wounds.
At the same time the workers of the Russian companies accomplishing various pubic procurements in Iraq, in particular in the energy sector, have become victims of terrorists more than once. The largest actions of such kind have taken place in April-May, 2004. In the beginning the terrorists had captured nine Russian workers who were released the next day, thanks to an intervention of the Sunni clergy. Then one fact of terror was followed by another, resulting in the death of three Russians, four were wounded and two taken captives by the terorists (those two were released in a week).
Until yesterday it was considered that Moscow undertakes all necessary measures with the purpose to not admit recurrences of similar actions against the diplomats in Iraq. Even on the eve of the allies operation in March, 2003 Alexander Yakovenko, the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared that “ all necessary measures are taken with the purpose of safety of our embassy staff in Bagdad”. He also informed that “ strengthening of protection of our diplomatic mission and its personnel is among these measures”. Simultaneously, reports appeared in the Russian press, referring to the Foreign Ministry sources, that “a few days prior to the beginning of the war” protection of the Russian embassy was strengthened by "two units of power support of the SVR”. In April, 2004 Yakovenko ascertained that “safety is provided” to the employees of the diplomatic mission in Bagdad. It was also him who in July, 2005 has informed on even greater “strengthening of protection of the embassy “. On this basis, Russia was one of the countries (along with Cuba and Vatican), that had not closed their representation offices in Iraq, even in the very height of warfare.
The troops of allies are not engaged in the protection of foreign embassies in Baghdad and the American officials have repeatedly informed the Russian authorities about that. The given task is carried out by the servicemen of the Iraq security services from the so-called “Forces of the militarized protection of diplomatic missions”. However, according to the officials in Moscow, their potentialities is obviously not enough for providing needed safety measures. Therefore since March, 2003 the Russian side has relied in this aspect mainly on its own forces.
In June, 2003 in an interview to the daily Rossiiskaya gazeta, Director of the Department of Safety of the Russian Foreign Ministry Leonid Safonov has told that “the external protection [of the embassy] is conducted by the Iraqi citizens, the former policemen, who have acquired the right to carrying weapons. One may say, it is armed security unit under the contract. “ The internal protection is carried out by Russians themselves. According to the Russian law, in “activity of safeguarding the establishments” and “diplomatic missions abroad” participate the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Federal Security Service (FSB) and Federal Borderguards Service (with 2003 in the structure of the FSB), and also the Department of Safety of the Foreign Ministry.
The Department of Safety of the Foreign Ministry carries out coordinating and inspection functions, and also provides embassy with the means of protection of a general purpose: armored vehicles, alarm system equipment, surveillance and videorecording cameras, systems of the admission and control. The representatives of the FSB are responsible for protection of the state secrets within the limits of the activity of embassy. It particularly includes protection of communication and suppression of attempts of intrusion of the interception equipment (up to 2003 these functions were carried out by the Federal Agency of Governmental Communications -- FAPSI).
Employees of the Borderguards Service of the FSB are responsible for maintenance of the physical protection of embassy and its personnel. And finally the most important role in the protection of safety of a diplomatic mission, especially in the conditions of warfare, is allocated to the “Department K” of the SVR, that inherited this duty from the First Main Department (PGU) of the KGB of the USSR.
According to Victor Budanov, the former Chief of the “Department K” still back in 1984 his service had confidential contacts to CIA for interaction against capture of foreign hostages by the Shia terrorists in Lebanon (daily Segodnya, February, 2000). Now, especially in the Iraqi conditions, the SVR is responsible for prospecting of safety of the embassy and its employees. The same as before, it includes private cooperation with foreign secret services, but first of all, conducting intelligence gathering among the population, in particular among the employees of power structures, members of terrorist groupings and figures of clergy, with the purpose of revealing of potential threats for the embassy and its personnel. Any departure of the employees from the territory of the mission becomes a whole special operation for the foreign counterintelligence staff.
With an assistance of local informants, they are obliged not only to have information on eventual actions against the diplomats, but also in advance to define the general degree of danger on a route of their movement. On this basis, before leaving the embassy, the representatives of foreign counterintelligence prepare a report on the operative conditions in the area of the planned trip. They participate in definition of time of departure and returning to the embassy, and also a route of movement. In view of the information given by them, decision on cancelling the previously planned event may be taken. Such procedure, more or less carefully, has for certain been done on June, 3 before the departure of the five diplomats from the embassy. However, judging by the subsequent events, the foreign counterintelligence members did not orientate in the given situation even in the immediate proximity (of 400 meters distance) from the Russian mission.
The current miscalculation of the SVR became in many respects a result of the loss by the secret services of Moscow their former positions in Iraq. From the beginning of the 1970’s they occupied the leading position among the foreign intelligence services in the country. .
At an active participation of the KGB and the military intelligence (GRU) the secret services of the former Iraqi regime were created. Many officers, and even ther heads of the Department of the general intelligence, Service of the general security and the Main department of the military intelligence of Saddam Hussein were trained in the Soviet Union. However, after his overthrow, Moscow has lost not only its political and economic influence in Iraq, but also the leading position in the field of intelligence. Today the centere of activity of the Russian secret services on the Iraq direction is Syria. Thus they have rather limited intelligence opportunities among numerous parties, religious movements and the militarized groupings which have flooded Iraq during the last years.
Attacks on the USSR and Russia’s embassies in the Middle East
November 1947: The building of the Soviet embassy’s Society of Cultural Ties with the USSR is demolished in Damascus. It has occured during the demonstration arranged to protest against support by Moscow of division of Palestine and creation of the State Israel.
January 1980: Ten Soviet citizens, including the embassy staff, were lost or wounded in Syria in the result of attacks by the activists of the Islamic opposition; In Tehran the USSR embassy is attacked to protest against the intervention of the Soviet troops into Afghanistan.
December 1980: On the day of the anniversary of the Soviet intervention into Afghanistan, the largest attack against the embassy of the USSR is realized in Tehran.
September 1985: Four staff members of the Soviet embassy in Beirut (including two employees of the KGB) are captured by the activists of the Shia organization Hezbollah, assisted by the Palestinian organisation FATH. One of them was killed almost immediately after the capture. The purpose of the kidnappers consisted in that using pressure of Moscow upon Damascus, to achieve the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from the North Lebanese city of Tripoli and the Palestinian refugees camps in Beirut. After the fulfillement of the requirements the survived hostages were released.
September 1986: During armed clashes between two groupings in the South Yemen leadership the Soviet embassy has been blocked, some tensof its staff killed or wounded.
March 1988: After the bombardment of Tehran by the Soviet-made Iraqi rockets,a regular attack against the USSR embassy was carried out.
January 2000: A Palestinian terrorist from the organization of Usbat al-Ansar has attacked the Russian embassy in Beirut to express his solidarity with the North Caucasus’ mojaheds. One more attack has been prevented by the Lebanese secret services.
Related items:
Russian Intelligence Acted Against Americans in Iraq (28.11.2005)
Reasons for Kremlin's Defeat in the Clandestine War (16.10.2005)
CIA and MI-6 Have the Best Agent Network in Chechnya (15.10.2005)
Main Page | News Page | 007 News | Print
|
