MOSCOW, October 5 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has said none of the detainees, alleged to be Russian spies in the U.S., had supplied microelectronics for the Russian defense-industrial complex.
“I know nothing about that,” said Rogozin about the scandal in the US involving naturalized citizens of Soviet decent. “We tried to find out at once who the people are, and what companies they represent.”
“None of them has ever supplied anything to us,” Rogozin, who is in charge of the military-industrial complex, said. “Possibly they had some other clients.”
Rogozin believes there should be no illusions. If Russia says it lacks this or that imported component, their supplies will come to an end at once.
“If we start saying in public we lack something, the flow of supplies will run dry at once,” he said.
“We have so many ‘friends’ – so-called - around the world. They are too numerous to count. I am not surprised. All these affairs may have something behind them, or have nothing at all. Yet they will go on happening regularly,” Rogozin said.
Rogozin believes that Russia must be able to manufacture all critically important technologies and components in its own territory.
“The necessary decisions for this have been taken,” Rogozin said.
“For this latest row we must say Thank You to the Americans. That’s a flick on the nose for all those who think that we can get help from abroad and that everything can be bought abroad. For those who love everything Made in the USA,” he said.