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US plans to send militants to Russia will not affect Putin’s public schedule — Kremlin

As the SVR said, the recruitment was being carried out among the members of groups affiliated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda (terrorist organizations banned in Russia)

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public schedule will not be revised in the wake of reports the United States is planning to send militants in Russia. The security of the head of state is ensured, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Earlier, the press bureau of the foreign intelligence service SVR told TASS that the US military was recruiting jihadist militants for staging terrorist attacks on the territory in Russia and other CIS countries.

"No revision of [the president's] public schedule us due. The security of the president and of all persons entitled to state protection is maintained at the proper level, with all the risks and dangers involved taken into account," Peskov told the media on Monday in response to a corresponding question.

As the SVR said, the recruitment was being carried out among the members of groups affiliated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda (terrorist organizations banned in Russia). In January this year, 60 terrorists with experience of participating in hostilities in the Middle East were reportedly selected.

According to the SVR, they are currently undergoing crash courses at the US base at Al-Tanf in Syria, where they are instructed in making and using improvised explosive devices, as well as methods of sabotage and other subversive activities.

A special emphasis is on planning attacks against well-protected facilities, including foreign diplomatic missions, the SVR said. The foreign intelligence service emphasized that the United States was going to send militants to Russia in small groups.