MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Russia assesses that Ukrainian intelligence agencies, with guidance from the West, are waging terrorist and subversive warfare against the country, Alexander Bortnikov, Federal Security Service (FSB) director and chairman of the National Anti-Terorism Committee (NAC), said.
"A real terror and subversive war has been declared on us, with the enemy not only trying to carry out precision strikes but also targeting civilians with missiles and drones," he pointed out in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of NAC, which was established by a presidential decree on March 10, 2006.
"Apart from international terrorist organizations, we are also confronted by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and their foreign puppet masters, who appear to have lost touch with reality, believing their actions will have no consequences. This is a completely new, higher level of terrorist threats," Bortnikov noted.
According to him, the enemy has moved to plan more complicated operations and increased the level of intelligence and technical support.
"The sabotage and reconnaissance groups that are inserted into Russian territory include career officers from Ukrainian intelligence agencies and special operations forces, trained to operate behind enemy lines. Foreign intel agents seek to create clandestine networks, provide them with supplies, and collect intelligence about targets for potential attacks," Bortnikov specified. More Russian nationals and immigrants are involved in terrorist activities, while foreign intelligence agencies actively use the capabilities of international terrorist organizations and crime rings to strengthen their subversive activities.
"Had we failed to build a nationwide anti-terror system in the past, we would have faced many difficulties in our work today," Bortnikov stressed.