MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Foreign secret services have been stepping up their activities against Russia and its allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said while visiting the headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
"Generally, the growing activities of foreign secret services against Russia and our allies are obvious," Putin said congratulating SVR officers on the 95th anniversary of the Russian clandestine intelligence service.
According to Putin, "they use new methods of collecting and spreading information, carry out cyber attacks, try to recruit agents to gain access to the information concerning Russia’s defense capabilities, economic potential and resources," the president added.
A number of foreign spy services provide immediate support to extremist and terrorist groupings in order to destabilize the regions adjoining the Russian border, according to Putin.
"You know perfectly the kind of challenges Russia has to grapple with," he said at the meeting.
"You also know they (foreign spy services) use terrorist and extremist groupings as instruments," Putin said. "Some of the grouping get direct assistance from the intelligences agencies of a number of countries."
Putin also said intelligence services from abroad were seeking to affect social processes in Russia.
"They're conducting operations to wield impact on the internal political and social processes in this country," has said at a meeting at the headquarters of Russia's External Intelligence Service where he had come to congratulate the officers on the 95th anniversary since the foundation of illegal intelligence.
Russia to boost intelligence service’s capacity
The good results achieved by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service provide an important guarantee of the country’s sovereignty, Putin said.
"We will continue to boost the capacity of the intelligence service, provide it with new technical means, encourage experienced professionals and train new personnel," Putin said congratulating SVR officers on the 95th anniversary of the Russian clandestine intelligence service.
According to Putin, the good results achieved by the national secret services, and the SVR in particular, provide an important guarantee of "Russia’s sovereign development, security and stability."