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Putin assures Russian government cannot conduct NSA-style mass surveillance

"We cannot afford it", the Russian president stated

NEW YORK, June 14. /TASS/. Russian security services have no mass electronic surveillance similar to that in the United States, President Vladimir Putin said in the second part of The Putin Interviews documentary, aired in the United States on Tuesday night.

Details of a massive government-sponsored surveillance program on US citizens were leaked by NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013.

"No, I can assure you. We have no such outreach, no such network. That’s for sure," Putin said.

"US special services have a colossal budget. We cannot afford it," he added.