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Russia's defense industry

FSB chief accuses US, UK of trying to hijack CIS financial systems

"We see secondary sanctions against our partners as evidence of the neocolonial policies of Washington and London, which serve as a cover for attempts to implement a course of action aimed at establishing total control over trade and financial operations within the CIS," Alexander Bortnikov noted

Russian Federal Security Service Head Alexander Bortnikov Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

Russian Federal Security Service Head Alexander Bortnikov

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

BISHKEK, May 24. /TASS/. Washington and London are seeking to hijack trade and financial operations within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) with an eye toward undermining the member states’ economies in the future, Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), said.

Speaking about threats to the Commonwealth at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Security and Special Services, he said the US and UK were trying to impose "various forms of cooperation in the field of defense and security, as well as political and economic pressure on the leaders of CIS countries."

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"We see secondary sanctions against our partners as evidence of the neocolonial policies of Washington and London, which serve as a cover for attempts to implement a course of action aimed at establishing total control over trade and financial operations within the CIS. In the long term, this will provide the Americans with leverage to undermine and isolate any national economy in the Commonwealth," the FSB chief noted.

Threat of 'color revolutions'

"The West works through the network of non-profit organizations under its control to divide the Commonwealth by spreading xenophobic ideas, promoting false values and falsifying our common history," Bortnikov warned. "Meanwhile, conduits of Western interests have spread their tentacles into all the most important public and government institutions in order to directly influence political, economic, social and cultural processes. A special focus is definitely being put on nurturing promising leaders among the youth," he added.

According to him, this is how conditions are created for domestic crises and "color revolutions." "Agents of influence, opposition parties and movements, non-profit organizations and pseudo-independent media outlets are used for these purposes. Political immigrants in other countries are encouraged to form the so-called ‘governments in exile’ aimed at taking over power in their home countries should the social-economic situation deteriorate and mass riots take place," the FSB head noted.

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Russian defense industry

Military operation in Ukraine

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