Putin orders Russia's security agency to strengthen counterintelligence

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday instructed the Federal Security Service to strengthen counterintelligence for a proportionate response to the Western intelligence services.

Speaking at a Federal Security Service board meeting in Moscow, Putin said the Western intelligence services "throw all the forces" at Russia and he called on the Russian intelligence to respond "evenly."

The Russian leader said 2022 was "special" for the Federal Security Service, as its staff have been taking part in Moscow's "special military operation" and gained "invaluable combat experience."

"The Federal Security Service and our other intelligence services have accumulated the same experience (as other law enforcement and military units) over the past year, and we are also obliged to use it fully to strengthen the national security of our country, to protect the state, society, and the rights and freedoms of our citizens," he urged.

The Federal Security Service's main task, he said, is to provide intelligence to the Russian military, assist people in the combat zone, take the Russia-Ukraine border line under "special control," organize an unhindered passage for refugees, and prevent the infiltration of saboteurs.

"It is necessary to strengthen the line of counterintelligence in general, because Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, as well as technical and other sources at us. We need to response accordingly," Putin said, stressing that information about the defense industry "must be well-protected."

He urged the Russian security agency to pay close attention to the protection of the digital space, energy infrastructure and countering terrorist threat to prevent recruitment of radicals to use them against Russia.

"It is necessary to identify and stop the illegal activities of those who are trying to divide and weaken our society, using separatism, nationalism, neo-Nazism, and xenophobia as weapons.

"This has also always been applied to our country, and now, of course, the most active attempts are attempts to activate all this scum on our land," he warned.​​​​​​​

Putin called on the Federal Security Service to respond effectively to all these challenges, act "decisively and aggressively" together with law enforcement agencies and in cooperation with the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, and use the entire arsenal of operational, analytical and other means.