MOSCOW, March 26. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian companies are not banned to buy and use foreign software, but they should choose their partners in information technologies carefully due to intensification of foreign information intelligence, Russian Minister of Communications Nikolay Nikiforov stated on Wednesday.

“We do not plan to impose any sanctions. But when it is stated overtly that several countries are about to launch large-scale information spying in Russia in the near future, these revelations evidently orient Russian contractors, primarily state contractors, contractors from state-run companies at quite careful selection of their partners in information technologies, both software and hardware,” Nikiforov said.

He noted that in this regard technologies and products of South Korean and Chinese companies could be interesting.

“A specific contractor should take a decision on all issues. I would not like very much that Russia passes over to the language of sanctions in this issue. Even what we witness now in foreign political activity, we always realise that Russia just has to take mirror, symmetrical and asymmetrical measures in retaliation to this,” Nikiforov noted.

“However, the very message of what we particularly read in The Wall Street Journal that US security services plan to increase sharply the amount of information intercepted in Russia, certainly causes serious concerns for many state contractors in Russia. I believe that they will take their choice for partners very cautiously particularly in key strategic information systems,” the minister noted.

In his words, this is a large number of information developments. They are related to hardware solutions, database control systems, software and hardware solutions, on the basis of which major state-run information systems operate. “Russian developers also have a certain niche, in which they are quite competitive,” Nikiforov said.

Nikiforov refrained from reply to the question whether creation of a domestic operating system could be resumed. “This is quite wrong to believe that the problem is only in operating system,” he added.