Actuality December, 19, 2007

Nikolay Patrushev, FSB director, the day before the professional holiday, Security Worker’s Day, summed up the activity of his agency in 2007 on the meeting with the heads of some Russian mass media. Report about successes, as every head should, who holds his post for a long time, he gave in restraint optimistic tones.

FSB director began with the main task of state security agency – foreign intelligence fight. “Activity of 22 regular officers and 71 foreign special-service agents was repressed in the current year. 11 regular officers and agents were caught red-handed in the moment of offence activities’ implementation. Four foreign citizens, participating in foreign special-services’ activity, are deported form Russia”, Patrushev declared.

We will mark that FSB director reported a year ago, that in 2006 the activity of about 40 foreign special-services was fixed and the activity of 27 regular officers of the foreign special-services and 89 their agents towards Russia was repressed.

But unlike previous years, this time Nikolay Patrushev didn’t confine himself to bare statistics and exposed some details. He reported that in 2007 three Russian citizens were convicted of high treason. In particular, he said, Shabaturov was convicted for 12 years of imprisonment of information disclosing about activity of Russian military intelligence to the foreign special-service. Arsentyev, who passed defense information to the foreign intelligence, was convicted for nine years of imprisonment. Yurenya, who passed military information to the foreign special-services, was convicted for seven years of imprisonment. FSB director marked also, that in the Kaliningrad regional court is tried a criminal case against lieutenant colonel Khitryuk, officer of Federal Penitentiary Service Intelligence Agency in Kaliningrad region, who is convicted of high treason in form of espionage in favor of one of the Baltic countries’ special-services. According to the same section is brought a criminal case against two Russian citizens upon collection and reporting of secret information to the representatives of Asia-Pacific Region countries’ military intelligence. Moreover, Patrushev said that “on the crime basis, stated in section (276) (espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, is brought a criminal case in connection with recruitment of the Russian citizen Zharko by the SIS officers of Great Britain for different kind of information collection for their farther use to the detriment of external security of Russia”.

The next column of report was devoted to the data about economic work efficiency of the special-services. According to FSB director, in 2007 by the security agencies materials in the sphere of economy protection was prevented a damage cause to the state to the sum more than RUR13 bln.

The additional receipt of financial facilities over RUR3 bln is provided to the federal budget and budgets of Russian Federation subjects.

Patrushev added also, that “strategically important raw materials and other commodities to the sum more than RUR 300 mln, in regard to which are set special rules of crossing the customs frontier of Russian Federation, are withdrawn, and also currency and other valuables over RUR550 mln”. Thus for economic crimes and contraband are brought more than 2 000 criminal cases.

In the last year report it was stated that in 2006 FSB officers prevented economic damage to the state in the amount over RUR45 bln. To the state profit were then returned financial valuables, money facilities and securities to the sum of about RUR1,3 bln.

“The additional receipt of financial facilities is provided to the federal budget and budgets of Russian Federation subjects, and also to the country economy are attracted investments of about RUR12 bln”, FSB director marked a year ago and reported that for economic crimes and contraband are brought over 1 000 criminal cases and more than 300 persons are convicted.

Some embarrassment happened farther, however, it was not Nikolay Patrushev’s fault any way.

He began the talk about the fight against a corruption with repression of illegal activities of some employees of the Accounts Chamber (AC). That could be interpreted as sensation – because Sergey Stepashin, the AC head, headed the state security agencies in his day. FSB director didn’t confine himself to the Accounts Chamber and cited also the last names of officials of Rostekhnadzor, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Federal Tax Service, the Ministry of Defense, the State Duma and even FSB accused of bribes and other corruption crimes. The announcement of Nikolay Patrushev was later widespread, where it was stated that the Accounts Chamber management has always rendered and renders an active assistance to law-enforcement agencies in the corruption uncovering, including their department. “The Accounts Chamber management and Sergey Stepashin foremost take active part in the fight against corruption in his department”, said FSB director.

A year ago FSB director has also confined himself to statistics only. “70 criminal cases are investigated in regard to the corrupted officials, 35 leaders of local authorities and 17 officials of regional state authority entities are brought to responsibility”.

Next part of the report was devoted to successes in the suppression of the terrorism. “The number of committed terroristic acts was reduced more than 2,5 times: in 2005 – 257, in 2006 – 112, in 2007 – 41”, Patrushev reported and added that the number of registered crimes of terrorist character is almost 44% less as compared to the last year.

According to him, 35 persons were convicted on the section of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, providing responsibility for the terroristic acts, for the last year.

54 men are convicted of deliberately false messages about the terroristic act, on the section of the Criminal Code “infringement on life of state and public figure” – 5 persons, for organization of the illegal armed formation or participation in it – 59 persons.

A year ago FSB director reported about prevention of more than 300 terroristic acts in 2006, including disposal of more than 60 explosive devices prepared for destruct. In particular, according to him, “two cashes that were planted by order of Basaev with about 60 kg of explosives and plenty of weapon were found in Moscow”.

The names of bandit leaders, whose criminal activity was repressed, still say little to the most citizens – if a year ago they were Basaev, Saydulaev and al-Qaeda representative Jordanian Farid Yusef Umeyra, more known as Abu-Khavs, now they are Khalilov, Imurzaev, Bataev, Nabiev, Ionov, Odizhev and others. However, obscurity of bandit leaders doesn’t quite say about their lesser danger. “In cooperation with the federal executive agencies on the North Caucasian region territory was repressed the criminal activity of over 500 areas of bands formations”, Nikolay Patrushev declared.

Speaking about cases concerning divulgence of state secret, FSB director reported that the state security agencies have conducted about 7 000 controlling activities. By the uncovered facts of security violation on objects by the FSB employees were brought 30 criminal cases for the divulgence of state secret and loss of documents, containing a state secret, and more than 600 cases about administrative offences, 10 persons are convicted.

Besides, Patrushev marked that were suspended and canceled over 450 issued earlier licenses to the right for works conduct with information use comprising state secret.

Two years ago, in 2005, Nikolay Patrushev said that in the field of state secret defense were conducted about 4 000 verification activities. By the uncovered facts of security violation on the objects of verifications were brought more than 40 criminal cases and about 300 cases of administrative offences, were suspended or canceled over 550 issued earlier licenses to the right for works conduct with information use comprising state secret, more than 300 presentations were introduced addressed to the heads of the relevant organizations about reasons

and terms removal, contributing to realization of security hazard of Russian Federation and committing a crime.

FSB director told about collaboration with the special-services of friendly countries in details, about successes of border guards, about fight against crimes in the high-tech industry and about cadre personnel strengthening of state security agencies. And according to the tradition he concluded with words about increasing support of population in the tough fight of special-services.

According to him, in 2007 the hotline of FSB of RF received about 15 000 appeals among which almost 600 more or less concerned the competence of security agencies.

“Practice of hotline functioning since 1997 testifies to the amount increase of incoming calls”, stated Nikolay Patrushev with pride.

Last year FSB director also marked the growing trust of citizens to the special-service activity. According to him, in 2006 FSB hotline received more than 3 700 reports among which 336 were of operative interest.