June 2008

Russia and Islam: Relations on the Rise

Russia is a multi-ethnic and a multi-confessional country that is home to almost 20 million Muslims. Last week, from June 23 to June 24, the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Russia and the Muslim World" was held in Moscow. At the same time, a press conference was held at the Press center of RIA Novosti at which its participants shared their impressions on the gathering.  But first, let us briefly consider the recent history of relations between Russia and the Muslim nations. Two important landmarks dominate this relationship: First, in August of 2003, then president Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Malaysia, during which he declared that his country would like to participate in the activity of the Organization of the Islamic Con­ference. …..(Moscow News Weekly, 3 Jul 08)

Russia's Dmitry Medvedev offers olive branch to Britain

Mr Medvedev is expected to have talks next week with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Diplomatic ties between Russia and Britain have been strainesd since the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent, in London two years ago.

He was poisoned with polonium-210, but Russia has refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the chief suspect. "Of course, Russia is prepared to give some ground, but we expect corresponding steps from our British partners," Mr Medvedev said. "On those issues where we have differences or some kinds of problems, I believe we must simply discuss them eye to eye."…..(Telegraph, 3 Jul 08)

Russians move to end rift with UK

…In a wide ranging interview -his first with foreign newspapers since taking office in May - Medvedev said Russia and Britain had endured worse crises in the past and it was time to move on. "International relations always require people to come towards each other," he said. "There has to be a willingness to find compromises and listen to your partner. Russia is ready to move, but we expect corresponding steps from our British partners." Medvedev said he had "a calm and good conversation" with Gordon Brown on the phone recently and was looking forward to seeing him at next week's G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. He has sent a leading adviser to London to prepare for a bilateral Anglo-Russian meeting during the summit which he expected to be "comprehensive and useful". Brown is likely to raise concerns about the treatment of BP and its international staff in Russia. In March the FSB, Russia's post-KGB spy agency, raided the Moscow offices of BP and a joint venture, TNK-BP. The British company has also faced problems with the tax police and the interior ministry……(Guardian, 3 Jul 08)

Radio Free Europe contributor arrested and tortured while government promises EU to improve human rights

Reporters Without Borders “strongly condemns” the action of the Turkmen police in arresting and torturing Sazak Durdymuradov in an attempt to get him to sign a pledge to stop working for US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE). His wife located him by chance in a detention centre used by the national security agency (the former KGB) on 24 June, four days after he was arrested at his home. “The methods used by the security services in this case are unfortunately common,” the press freedom organisation said. “The authorities displayed an appalling cynicism in arresting a journalist just as Turkmenistan was holding talks with the European Union about improving respect for human rights.” Durdymuradov was arrested at his home in Bakharden, 200 km west of Ashgabat, on 20 June and was taken to a psychiatric hospital near the capital. But he was no longer there when his family went to the hospital the next day. His wife finally found him in a detention centre in Bakharden on 24 June. He has now gone on hunger strike…….(RSF, 26 Jun 08)

Russian flights smack of Cold War - U.S. fighters ID bombers near Alaska

Russian bombers have stepped up provocative flight exercises off the Alaskan coast, reminiscent of Cold War incursions designed to rattle U.S. air defenses.  U.S. Northern Command, which protects North American airspace, told The Washington Times that TU-95 Bear bombers on 18 occasions the past year have skirted a 12-mile air defense identification zone that protects Alaska. The incursions prompted F-15s and F-22 Raptor fighters to scramble from Elmendorf Air Force Base and intercept the warplanes. The last incident happened in May…….(Washington Times, 26 Jun 08)

American doctor to examine Zeltser in jail

An American doctor plans to arrive in Minsk to hold a medical examination of US citizen Emanuel Zeltser, who is kept in the KGB jail in Minsk. Interfax has learnt it from Emanuel Zeltser’s lawyer Zmitser Harachka…The KGB reminds E. Zeltser was detained by KGB officers in Minsk on 12 March 2008. He was charged with an offence over part 2 of article 380 “Using of consciously forged document, providing rights, by a group of persons by previous concert” of the Criminal Code of Belarus. In his turn the lawyer noted that “according to the investigation, E. Zeltser “transferred and kept narcotic and psychotropic substances on the territory of Belarus.”…..(Charter97, 24 Jun 08)

Cooperation between Belarus, Russia security services protects Belarus from unfriendly forces

Cooperation between Belarus’ State Security Committee (KGB) and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reliably protects Belarus from unfriendly moves on the part of some countries and organisations, head of state Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russia’s FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov in Minsk on June 24.

The President of Belarus thanked the Director of the Russian security service for the assistance provided to the KGB. “You can always count on our support,”….(National Legal Internet Portal, 24 Jun 08)

How Serious Is Russia's Problem with Islamist Terrorism?

During the decades of the Cold War Russia armed itself for an eventual attack from the outside. Today the threat to Russia's security and stability comes not from the outside, but from within, in the form of radical, militant Islam. The threat of terrorist attacks by fanatical Islamists against Russian cities is as real as the threat against cities in the United States or in Western Europe. The danger for Russia is all the more real given that it has large Muslim populations that are part of the Russian Federation, such as Chechnya and Ingushetia. Russian troops have in the past engaged in fierce fighting with Muslim separatists causing many deaths and much destruction in those autonomous regions……(Middle East Times, 23 Jun 08)

Russia cuts US pastor's jail term

A Russian court has reduced the three-year prison sentence of a US pastor convicted of smuggling rifle ammunition and ordered him set free. The Moscow City Court reduced Phillip Miles' sentence to 10 months and ruled that he should be freed from custody without serving all of it. Miles, who has been in jail since February 3, is likely be set free on Tuesday after the completion of the necessary formalities, his lawyer said, and he will be allowed to leave Russia …..(Press Association, 23 Jun 08)

Russia warns against attacking Iran

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday warned against the use of force on Iran, saying there was no proof it was trying to build nuclear weapons. Lavrov said Iran should be engaged in dialogue and encouraged to cooperate with the UN nuclear monitoring agency. He made the statement when asked to comment on Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz's statement earlier this month that Israel could attack Iran if it does not halt its nuclear program.…..(AP/Jerusalem Post, 20 Jun 08)

Three More Charged In Journalist's Killing

Three men were charged Wednesday with involvement in the October 2006 killing of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, but investigators said nothing about who ordered the assassination or why. A man formally identified by authorities last month as the shooter remains at large, as does the unknown person who organized the murder. Politkovskaya, a critic of the Kremlin known for crusading reports on human rights abuses in Chechnya, was shot in the lobby of her apartment building in central Moscow as she was returning home with groceries. Police immediately described it as a contract killing. The murder weapon was dropped beside the body….(Washington Post, 19 Jun 08)

A hidden compliment, and a big question, in Britain's fall-out with Russia.

Red is the color of "From Russia", a raucous new exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. The dress worn by a Russian peasant woman, the roofs in a futuristic Moscow, the quizzical horse ridden by a lean Russian youth and Chagall's "Red Jew" all blaze red. The main theme, however, is Russia's perpetual, complex dance of envy and emulation with the West. By post-cold-war standards, Anglo-Russian relations are noxious so bad that for a while it seemed that "From Russia" might be cancelled. Though the show went on, British diplomats worry that the relationship might break down altogether, were Russia's Byzantine internal politics to make that useful. Beneath the iciness, however, lies a kind of compliment and a question about Britain's place in the world…..(Ekonom, 19 Jun 08)

Norwegian-Russian cooperation bugged by intelligence

A significant number of the Norwegian business people regularly traveling in Northwest Russia is requested to report to the Norwegian intelligence services, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reports. Both business representatives and regional officials now say they feel increasingly uncomfortable with the pressure from the intelligence authorities. On the one hand, they feel loyalty to their projects and partners in Russia, and on the other hand they do not want to let down the intelligence services……(Barents Observer, 19 Jun 08)

Russian Spies Go For The Money

A manager at Eurocopter recently received a suspended sentence after admitting he spied for Russian intelligence (SVR) between 2004-6. He received $20,000 from the Russians, and supplied them with unclassified documents. He received such lenient treatment because he cooperated with police, and that led to several other arrests, and severe damage to Russian spying operations in Germany…..(Strategy Page, 19 Jun 08)

British Council to challenge Russian tax bill

The British government's cultural arm on Wednesday said it is appealing its Russian tax bill, a dispute that could rekindle a bitter row over the organisation that helped to sour ties between Moscow and London.

Earlier this year the British Council was forced to close its offices in two Russian cities and police questioned its local staff in what Britain's foreign minister described at the time as unacceptable harassment.

Both Russia and Britain linked the closure of the two offices to a diplomatic spat over the 2006 murder in London of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko…..(Reuters, 18 Jun 08)

In Stalin's Bomb Lab, Dreams Of Preservation

Behind a thicket of weeds and broken window panes, one of the former Soviet Union's dark secrets is the laboratory where captured German scientists worked to build an atomic bomb for Josef Stalin. The Sukhumi Institute still exists, in a state of limbo. Limping along under semi-siege in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia whose existence the rest of the world does not recognize, its Cold War past has been all but forgotten. Once, around 250 German specialists lived here with their families and built centrifuges to separate uranium isotopes. Now a money-making sideline for the few scientists who keep the institute's research going is designing household heaters…..(Reuters, 18 Jun 08)

Promise kept to poisoned ex-spy

As he lay dying in London's University College Hospital in November 2006, exiled former KGB and FSB agent Alexander "Sasha" Litvinenko was being filmed by documentarian Andrei Nekrasov. He told Nekrasov: "If anything should happen to me, I beg you to show this tape to the whole world."  Nekrasov kept the promise he made to his friend, who died three weeks after falling ill from what was later discovered to be radiation poisoning from a lethal dose of Polonium-210 in his tea, believed to have been slipped in during a meeting with two of his former FSB (Russia's modern-day secret police) colleagues. Nekrasov's startling documentary, “Poisoned by Polonium: The Litvinenko File,” opens Friday……(LA Times, 16 Jun 08)

Terrorists fail to make impact in Russia - FSB

Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, says the threat from terrorism in the country has decreased considerably. So far in 2008, no terrorist attacks have been reported in Russia……(Russia Today, 10 Jun 08)

Detectives Prevented Terrorist Actions in Moscow Metro

Terrorist actions planned to be staged in the Moscow metro and in the cities and towns of Caucasus Mineral Waters during May holidays have been prevented, Mayak Broadcaster reported today with reference to Alexander Bortnikov, chief of the National Counter-Terrorist Committee. Alexander Bortnikov, who is also the director of the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB), made the respective statement during today’s meeting of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee. …..(Kommersant, 11 Jun 08)

Russia and Britain to look at actual perpetrators behind Litvinenko poisoning

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced that it now willing to work with British law enforcement agencies after it said Britain withdrew "unfounded accusations" originally leveled against Moscow regarding its alleged role in the affair. Former Russian intelligent agent Alexander Litvinenko died of radiation poisoning from polonium-210 in London in November 2006. A cavalcade of anti-Vladimir Putin Russian exiles in Britain and elsewhere blamed Putin for the murder and they managed to convince the British government of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair of the Kremlin's involvement. British-Russian relations went into a deep freeze as a result……(Online Journal, 10 Jun 08)

True Story of Legendary Soviet Spy to Appear on Screen

Through the agency of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service the First Channel of Russian TV has launched production of a documentary and feature TV series about the Soviet intelligent agent Aleksei Botyan who had saved the Polish city of Krakov from destruction in World War II. The film makers have managed to get Aleksei Botyans consent to participate in the filming and so we will finally learn the true story of rescuing Krakov……(Russia-IC, 10 Jun 08)

BP's Russian oil row intensifies

A row over the management and ownership of a joint venture between UK oil major BP and a group of Russian businessmen has intensified. The boss of the TNK-BP venture, Robert Dudley, defended his leadership at an investor meeting at the weekend. Russian shareholders have called for a shakeup at the firm, accusing Mr Dudley of working only in BP's interests……(BBC, 9 Jun 08)

Russia summons TNK-BP CEO

Russia will question the chief executive of oil major BP's Russian venture as part of a probe into tax evasion at a unit of the embattled company, which many analysts expect to fall under the control of a state firm. TNK-BP said in a statement on Thursday that a local Interior Ministry department has issued a summons to TNK-BP Chief Executive Robert Dudley as part of a tax probe into OAO TNK's activities in 2001-2003… Dudley's summons come on top of other problems at the firm, including the arrest of a TNK-BP employee on an industrial espionage charge, a raid on the company's central Moscow offices and a court injunction to stop it using BP specialists……(Reuters, 5 Jun 08)

Russia's Spy Weapons Catalogue

…Russia's lurch into aristo-capitalism means that the weapons from 007's old adversaries -- which once would have been kept strictly secret -- are now advertised in glossy catalogs like the one on Rosboronexport's web site.  Most of the content is standard military stuff, but the section on Special Weapons has some items which belong more in the hands of 007 than your average soldier. Planning a quiet assassination somewhere? How about the PSS handgun…..(Wired, 5 Jun 08)

Belarusian authorities reject Washington's appeal for release of US lawyer Zeltser

The Belarusian authorities have rejected Washington's appeal to release US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser on "humanitarian grounds," the press office of the Minsk-based US embassy told BelaPAN. The US Department of State twice appealed to Minsk to release the man arrested in the Belarusian capital city this past March, citing his poor health. The Belarusian foreign ministry delivered an "official note" rejecting the appeal to the US embassy on May 30……(Naviny, 4 Jun 08)

Mark Zeltser: KGB investigators colluded with Boris Berezovsky

Brother of arrested in Minsk lawyer Emanuel Zeltser sent a letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Mark Zeltser complains in his letter at actions of KGB investigators, trying the case of his brother Emanuel. According to Mark Zeltser, his brother was “severely beaten in order to coerce him to make a series of phone calls to Joseph Kay for the purpose of luring Kay to Minsk.”….(Charter97, 3 Jun 08)

Viktor Bout is Apparently Worth Quite a Lot to the Russians

…Viktor Bout, in prison in Thailand awaiting extradition to the United State, may not make it back, despite having a long history of providing weapons to terrorists, criminals and some of the world’s most vicious thugs, such as Charles Taylor, Laurent Kabila, the Taliban, the FARC and hosts of others. The reason he may not make it back is that the Russians are far more afraid of his standing trial than was originally anticipated. After several diplomatic efforts to get Bout out of prison and back to Russia, the Russian government, or at least its military establishment, has decided to let some money and hardware do the talking. My sources tell me the Russian ambassador in Thailand has met several times with the Thai prime minister, and has offered sweet heart deals on weapons systems, including fighter jets, in exchange for Bout…The question is, why would Bout be so valuable to the Russians, and what is it that they fear he could or would say in a court? The most obvious answer is that he is deeply in bed and protected by the Russian military establishment and its intelligence services. ….(Douglas Farah, 3 Jun 08)

Indictment: US v. Viktor Bout

Inside the Global Black Market for Antiaircraft Missiles

Shoulder-fired missiles, the meanest weapons in the “small arms” category, keep falling into the wrong hands, despite the U.S. and Russia’s attempts to keep them away from terrorists. Could more militants, from Iran to China, be next in line at the black market?...Victor Bout, alleged to be the world's most notorious black-market arms dealer, was doing what he does best when he got caught: selling illicit arms to whoever wanted them. He saw a good client in the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) and was offering the group 100 shoulder-fired Igla antiaircraft missiles, designed in Russia. There were two problems with this. One, the FARC is designated as a terrorist group by the United States. The second problem was that the FARC members he was dealing with turned out to be undercover U.S. federal agents. Arrested this March in Bangkok, Thailand, Bout now faces extradition to the U.S. in connection with this reputed deal…..(Popular Mechanics, 2 Jun 08)

MAY 2008

BP venture in Russia tests move for independence

A joint venture between British giant BP PLC and a group of Russian tycoons known as TNK was billed as groundbreaking for Russia's oil and gas industry. Now security agents have raided the venture's headquarters, and internal feuding has spilled into the open, with the Russian partners calling for the company's American CEO to be ousted. Just weeks into Dmitry Medvedev's presidency, TNK-BP has become a litmus test of Russia's willingness to allow companies in key sectors to operate out of the shadow of the Kremlin......(AP, 30 May 08)

Russian scientists reject Vladimir Putin ally

Russia's most eminent scientists have delivered a rare rebuff against Vladimir Putin when they voted to keep one of the prime minister's most influential allies out of their prestigious academy. The decision by the Russian Academy of Sciences to reject Mikhail Kovalchuk's application for full membership as an academic represented an unusual act of rebellion in the face of intense Kremlin pressure… Observers say the scientists, already angered by the arrest of several colleagues on dubious espionage charges, resented the state's attempts to undermine their authority. The rebellion was all the more startling because Mr Putin appeared in person before the vote to offer a large increase in funding for the Academy……(Telegraph, 30 May 08)

BP, Russian Billionaires Feud Amid Takeover Reports

BP Plc, the largest foreign oil producer in Russia, rejected a demand by four billionaires to fire the head of their TNK-BP venture, intensifying a shareholder dispute amid reports OAO Gazprom wants to buy the company.

Len Blavatnik, Mikhail Fridman, German Khan and Viktor Vekselberg, who control half of TNK-BP, said in a statement today that BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward rebuffed their request to dismiss TNK-BP CEO Robert Dudley for making decisions that they said put BP's interests above their own……(Bloomberg, 30 May 08)

Zeltser’s case: forged documents at first, drugs now?

The Committee of State Security of Belarus (KGB) instituted a criminal case on drug trafficking against US citizen Emanuel Zeltser. Interfax has learnt it from the Belarusian KGB. “A criminal case on part 2 of article 228 (drug trafficking) and part 1 of article 328 (trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors) of the Criminal Code of Belarus was instigated against Zeltser,” the KGB said. The case against the US citizen was submitted to court…..(Charter97, 29 May 08)

Russia Scraps Arrest Warrant For Media Campaigner

Russian investigators on Monday scrapped an arrest warrant for the head of a media charity, effectively ending a prosecution that rights campaigners said was a Kremlin attack on civil society. Russia's Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that charges against Manana Aslamazyan were illegal -- a decision she said could signal a less hardline approach to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) under new President Dmitry Medvedev……(Reuters, 29 May 08)

Russian president urges protection of national borders

Russia's president congratulated officers of the Federal Border Service (FPS) Wednesday on Border Guard's Day and urged them to continue to secure Russia's borders from terrorists and drug traffickers. "We are well aware that the border service, especially in remote regions of the country, is one of the most difficult," Dmitry Medvedev told officers at the Kremlin…..(RIA Novosti, 28 May 08)

New charge brought against US lawyer held in custody in Minsk

A new criminal charge has been brought against US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser held in custody in Minsk since this past March…The new case was opened on May 27 under Part 1, 328 Article of the Criminal Code penalizing the carriage and possession of illegal drugs and under Part 2, Article 228 that carries punishment for the smuggling of drugs. He is suspected of smuggling medications containing illegal drugs, which he should have declared when entering Belarus, according to the lawyer. The US lawyer was arrested in the Belarusian capital city on March 12 together with his secretary, Russian citizen Vladlena Funk, upon their arrival….(Naviny, 28 May 08)

Georgia demands Russian apology over spy plane

Georgia demanded on Tuesday that Russia apologize after a U.N. report said a Russian air force jet had shot down a Georgian spy plane last month, but Moscow said it did not trust the report's conclusions… Russia denies any involvement in shooting down the unmanned aircraft, which was brought down on April 20 over Abkhazia, a Moscow-backed separatist region of Georgia. Georgia's leaders, who have angered Russia by trying to join NATO, have described the incident as an act of aggression…..(Reuters, 27 May 08)

U.N. Says Russia Downed Drone

U.N. investigators concluded in a report released Monday that a Russian fighter jet almost certainly shot down a Georgian reconnaissance drone over the separatist region of Abkhazia last month. The finding supports Georgian assertions that Russia is providing military backing to rebels in the Black Sea enclave. Russia, which denies involvement in the incident and says the drone was shot down by Abkhaz forces, maintains a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia to enforce a 1994 cease-fire agreement. The region remains a part of Georgia but has enjoyed de facto independence since routing Georgian forces in the early 1990s……(Washington Post, 27 May 08)

Russia's FSB accuses official with revealing state secrets

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched a criminal case against a deputy interior minister in Russia's northwest Komi Republic accused with divulging state secrets. "We are investigating a case which involves officials from the Interior Ministry in Komi, including Vasily Lytoyev," the head of the local investigative department, Nikolai Basmanov said. According to the popular business daily Kommersant, Lytoyev is accused of revealing secret information to media sources into an investigation against Syktyvkar mayor Roman Zenishev. In an interview with the daily, Lytoyev said, however, his arrest was linked with his professional activities……(RIA Novosti, 26 May 08)

Russian court: smuggling charge against U.S.-funded NGO head unconstitutional

The former head of a U.S.-funded NGO who fled Russia to avoid what supporters called trumped-up smuggling charges won an appeal in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. Manana Aslamazyan's lawyer said the ruling that the law under which she was charged was unconstitutional was a sign of the potential for positive change in Russia under President Dmitry Medvedev. The new president has vowed to respect the civil rights that Kremlin critics say were trampled by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. Aslamazyan, former president of the Moscow-based Educated Media Foundation, was charged with smuggling after she carried a sum of money modestly exceeding the legal limit into Russia without declaring it. The charge, punishable by up to five years in prison, was widely seen as a pretext for a campaign against the non-governmental organization. Aslamazyan took refuge in Paris and the foundation was forced to close by legal pressure including a raid and the confiscation of computers and documents…..(AP, 27 May 08)

Abramovich 'vetted' Putin before he became Russia'sPresident

Russian multi-billionaire Roman Abramovich is known worldwide for his wealth and his ownership of the football team Chelsea, but few would be surprised to know that he played a significant role in facilitating Vladimir Putin's selection as the President of Russia after Boris Yeltsin. According to The Times, the late Alexander Litvinenko, the spy poisoned in Britain in a suspected Russian plot, made the astonishing suggestion that Abramovich effectively vetted Putin on behalf of Russia's powerful oligarchs to succeed Boris Yeltsin as President.Litvinenko also told The Times that the football-loving billionaire controlled so much of Russia's economy that he was in danger of being killed by the Kremlin's special services…..(Top News, 23 May 08)

Lugovoi, Wanted in London Spy Death, to Attend Soccer Final

Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in the London murder of fellow former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, will attend the first all-England Champions League soccer final in Moscow today… Litvinenko, a critic of Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin, died in November 2006 from exposure to polonium- 210, a rare radioactive isotope. British prosecutors asked Russia in May to extradite Lugovoi to face trial for the murder. Russia refused, citing a constitutional ban on extradition. Lugovoi won a seat in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in December elections, running on the ticket of nationalist firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of Russia…..(Bloomberg, 22 May 08)

BP's Moscow Offices Searched

…The search was part of a spy probe involving an employee of TNK-BP Ltd., BP's Russian joint venture, people close to BP said. They said the officers were looking for documents related to OAO Gazprom, the natural-gas giant. A BP spokesman said the company was fully cooperating with the investigation and denied it was a sign of pressure on BP. A spokesman for the FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence service, which carried out the searches, declined to comment. The FSB action comes amid evidence of growing tensions between BP and its partners in TNK-BP, a group of billionaire Russian businessmen. There is also speculation that the Russian shareholders may be forced to sell out to a state-run company like Gazprom, though they have repeatedly denied any plans to exit from the company…..(Wall Street Journal, 21 May 08)

Israel: Russia may be selling Syria arms

Fearing that Damascus is acquiring advanced military platforms, Israel is closely following meetings being held in Moscow this week between a high-level Syrian military delegation and Russian Defense Ministry officials.

Senior government officials in Jerusalem said they have been aware for several days of the Syrians' upcoming visit to the Russian capital but that it was not yet clear which military platforms Damascus was requesting.

According to reports in the Russian media, the delegation, led by Syrian Air Force commander Gen. Akhmad al-Ratyb, will be in Moscow for five days and meet with Russian Defense Ministry and Air Force officials, as well as visit several military bases and units…..(Jerusalem Post, 21 May 08)

U.S. voices concern over lawyer jailed in Belarus

The U.S. State Department has said it is deeply concerned over the deteriorating health of an American lawyer in custody in Belarus, and urged Belarusian authorities to respond to a release plea. Russian-born lawyer Emanuel Zeltser, known for exposing an estimated $10 billion money laundering scheme between a Russian bank and the Bank of New York in 1990s, was arrested by the Belarusian KGB on his arrival in the country on March 12. Media reports said he had been charged with using forged documents……(RIA Novosti, 20 May 08)

BP says Russian agents search its Moscow office

Russian security service officers were searching the headquarters of oil major BP in Moscow on Tuesday for the second time in the two months, adding pressure on the company amid widely rumored buyout talks.  BP's Russian venture, TNK-BP, is the subject of long-running market speculation that the Kremlin wants a state company along the lines of gas monopoly to buy out the Russian billionaires who own half the company…In March, Russian law enforcement agencies conducted searches at the Moscow offices of BP and at TNK-BP, Russia's third-largest oil producer and which is half-owned by BP.  At that time, a Russian TNK-BP employee was charged with industrial espionage…..(Reuters, 20 May 08)

Russia-Iran rail link to open in 2011

A railway linking Russia and Iran via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will open in December 2011, a top Turkmen executive said on Monday. The link, which will be constructed by the two ex-Soviet states, along with Iran, will cover 900 km (560 miles) and will allow for travel and goods transportation between Europe and the Persian Gulf in one continuous stretch for the first time ever… The line, from the Kazakh city of Uzen to the northern Iranian city of Gorgan via Turkmenistan, will start transporting up to 5 million tonnes of goods per year….(Reuters, 19 May 08)

Putin's Gulag Stability

Vladimir Putin hails stability among his greatest achievements as president of Russia. But stability in Russia exists in appearance only, supported by enormous oil revenue and massive propaganda from the government-controlled mass media. Behind the facade lies an unprecedented increase in corruption, a population largely mired in poverty, and a bureaucracy and domestic intelligence apparatus whose power is unchecked. Putin's stability is the stability of the gulag, where wardens ensure that all the prisoners have their allotted rations, reward the most obedient and punish potential troublemakers to preempt disorder. The difference between Russia today and the Soviet gulag is that most Russians have never known another type of government, so they do not realize that they are confined……(Washington Post, 19 May 08)

Russia signs arms deal with Saudi Arabia

Rumors of a breakthrough deal with Saudi Arabia, a traditional buyer of United States’ defense equipment, started circulating when former Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in November last year. However, Russia and Saudi Arabia preferred not to reveal details of their talks on the contract, which continued for about six months. The Saudi government expressed interested in a wide range of Russia’s defense equipment — from aircraft and armored vehicles to missile complexes — during that time. According to details of the deal, half of the contract accounts for 100 Mi-l helicopters (mainly, Mi-17 and Mi-35). Half a billion dollars account for 150 T-90C tanks…..(Daily times, 19 May 08)

News Analysis: China, Russia boost strategic relations

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is scheduled to pay his first foreign visit to Kazakhstan and China this week. As China is destined to be the first non-Commonwealth of Independent States member country of Medvedev's first tour abroad since he was sworn in on May 7, the visit will mark the importance attached by the two countries to their strategic partnership of cooperation…In the economic sphere, bilateral trade volume surged from 10.67 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 33.39 billion dollars in 2006 and 48.17 billion dollars last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce of China.     The soaring economic figures were also accompanied by an optimized trade structure, booming two-way investment and flourishing cooperation in the border regions…..(Xinhua, 19 May 08)

Will Lugovoi still stand trial?

Almost a year after UK prosecutors recommended that a former KGB officer should be charged with the murder by poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner asks whether Britain is any closer to bringing Andrei Lugovoi to trial. Locked up in a safe in a high-security area of the Crown Prosecution Service building in London is "The Lugovoi File"'… Russia has so far refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, who is now a Russian MP, saying it would be against its constitution to do so. He has always insisted that he too was a victim of polonium poisoning at the time and not a perpetrator. As long as he stays in Russia there is little chance of his coming to trial in Britain and British government officials said this month that "things essentially have not moved on"……(BBC, 19 May 08)

FSB Looking Forward to Apology of Britain

Russia’s Federal Security Service, FSB, is expecting Britain to apologize for the accusations brought in time of the probe into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. The apology is needed to resume FSB’s cooperation with Britain’s detectives, said Viktor Komogorov, who heads the FSB Information and Foreign Ties Service, RIA Novosti reported. “They are blocking all our initiatives, no one does it except them,” Komogorov said, signaling that speaking of any efficient cooperation of FSB and Scotland Yard would be too optimistic today. “They accuse us of something odd, although completely groundlessly, completely far-fetched,” the official said without specifying the actual charges. Ex-officer of FSB Alexander Litvinenko, who had been granted political asylum in Britain, died in London November 2006. The cause of his death was poisoning by polonium 210, showed the investigation of Scotland Yard……(Kommersant, 19 May 08)

Russia ready to cooperate with Britain on Litvinenko case – FSB

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Sunday it was prepared to cooperate with Britain in investigating the case of poisoned defector Alexander Litvinenko after London lifted its unfounded accusations.

Former Russian security service officer Litvinenko died of radioactive poisoning in London in November 2006. London accused Russia's security services of their complicity in Litvinenko's death.

"We are ready for cooperation and interaction with them [British security services] but the first step should be made by Britain. We expect them to apologize for unfounded accusations as we are absolutely uninvolved in what they accuse us," Viktor Komogorov, head of the FSB operative information and international relations service said…..(RIA Novosti, 18 May 08)

Saudis Spend Billions On Russian Weapons

Russia has managed to sell Saudi Arabia $4 billion worth of weapons. Half of that is for 100 Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters…The Saudis are paying about $20 million per helicopter, which is on the high end for these models. So it appears that these choppers will come with all available accessories, maintenance contracts and the like…Saudi Arabia has been on a weapons buying spree since September 11, 2001, the Saudis have been spending $15-20 billion a year on weapons. Most of the sales go to U.S. firms ……(Strategy Page, 18 May 08)

A Russian Documents the Truth About Russia

Perhaps best known for throwing a glass of juice in the face of ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky during a debate on a [1] TV talk show in 1995 (and getting away with it, at a time when Zhironvsky was at his most menacing), Boris Nemtsov has long been the golden boy of post-Soviet Russia, the country’s best imitation of JFK. Granted, even the actual JFK left much to be desired — so a Russian knock-off is hardly likely to save the world. But in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is tsar — and a white paper he recently published assessing the accomplishments and failures of the Putin administration deserves close attention. At the tender age of 27, in the communist Russia of 1986, Nemtsov made his name leading a protest action to block the construction of a nuclear reactor in his home town of Sochi in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in nearby Ukraine. He then attempted to translate that notoriety into a parliament seat, but was stonewalled by the local Communist Party. Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberalization reforms had not yet sufficiently taken hold……(Pajama Media, 17 May 08)

Germany Accuses Russia of Espionage

The German intelligence service has accused Russia and China of using spies and Internet technology to acquire industrial secrets that could seriously damage Europe’s largest economy. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the German counterintelligence service, states in its 2007 report to German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble that foreign intelligence agents are interested in a wide range of industrial targets, as well scientific and technological institutes. The report states that, besides special services agents, Russia uses “nonprofessional spies” – students and scientists…On June 9 of this year, the trial will begin of an employee of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. accused of providing Russian special services with information between May 2004 and December 2006 in exchange for money. That information, although intended for peaceful purposes, could be used for military goals as well. The suspect has confessed to the spying charges…..(Kommersant, 16 May 08)

Chinese, Russian industrial spies active in Germany - official

Chinese, Russian and Iranian spies have tried to steal industrial secrets from as many as one in two German firms, Financial Times Deutschland reported, citing Hartwig Moeller, head of North Rhine-Westphalia's intelligence agency. 'Every second German company has been affected, studies show,' with the loss of information valued at between 15 billion euros and 50 billion euros a year, said Moeller. 'Together with the Chinese it is first and foremost Russian and Iranian intelligence agencies that are active in Germany,'….(Forbes, 16 May 08)

Medvedev promotes another Putin KGB ally

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday appointed Viktor Ivanov, once described by the jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky as one of the Kremlin's top hardliners, to head the federal anti-drug service. The anti-drug agency is a powerful law enforcement body and Ivanov's appointment comes as yet another confirmation that some of the country's top state jobs will be controlled by allies of former President Vladimir Putin from his KGB days… Like Putin, Ivanov is a career KGB officer. He served in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in 1987-1988 and worked under Putin in the St Petersburg mayor's office. He was deputy head of the FSB, the successor of the KGB, in 1999-2000, when Putin was the service's director…..(Reuters, 16 May 08)

Russia accuses Georgia of aiding rebels

Russia's domestic spy service on Friday accused Georgia of supporting armed rebels in southern Russia, an accusation that could further damage the strained relations between the two countries. A source in the Federal Security Service (FSB) told Interfax news agency that a Chechen man working for Georgian intelligence had been giving cash to fighters across the turbulent North Caucasus. "This confirms that Georgian special forces have participated in subversive terrorist activities in the North Caucasus," Interfax quoted the FSB source as saying…..(Reuters, 16 May 08)

Reports: Russia detains alleged spy working for Georgia

Russia's security service said agents detained a spy allegedly recruited by Georgia to support insurgents in the restive North Caucasus, news agencies reported Friday, adding to escalating tension between the ex-Soviet republics. A Georgian official denied the allegation and called it part of a Russian «policy of provocation» aimed at Georgia, which is the focus of a struggle for regional influence between Moscow and the West.
Russia's relations with Georgia are badly strained as the small country's U.S.-allied leader courts the West. Tensions have increased sharply lately over Russia's increasing support for Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia province, a linchpin in Moscow's efforts to thwart Georgia's drive for NATO membership.

An unidentified Russian Federal Security Service official identified the alleged agent as Ramzan Turkoshvili, a Georgian-born Russian citizen…..(AP, 16 May 08)

Factory Visit Tied to Ouster of Attachés From Russia

The two American military attachés who were expelled from Russia early this month, days ahead of the Victory Day martial parade on Red Square, had made an uninvited visit to a military aviation factory in Siberia that Russia regards as strategic, several American officials said this week. The visit occurred in late March at the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association, a plant that manufactures Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers. The two officers, an Army lieutenant colonel and a Navy lieutenant commander, appeared at the factory’s gates and were subsequently questioned by the surprised local authorities….(New York Times, 14 May 08)

FACTBOX-Russia's top officials: Who does what?

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appointed key Kremlin advisers and government ministers on Monday after consultations with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Following are brief descriptions of the figures named so far to key Kremlin and government posts…..(Reuters, 13 May 08)

President Medvedev sets tasks for new FSB chief Bortnikov

President Dmitry Medvedev met on Tuesday with the new head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, and outlined key tasks for the service… The president, who assumed office last week replacing Vladimir Putin, said that among other issues Bortnikov will have focus on counter-terrorism and extremism along with measures to curb ethnic and religious intolerance. He said that in a multi-confessional country such as Russia, attempts to undermine unity are considered a direct national threat. "We have serious tasks ahead in the sphere of economic security, particularly the protection of the Russian economy from corrupt and criminal pressure and industrial espionage, and the strengthening of guarantees for entrepreneurship and private property,"…..(RIA Novosti, 13 May 08)

FSB Shuffle Seen Helping Medvedev

…The appointments indicate that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has chosen not to try to tilt the government's balance of power by seizing control of the law enforcement agencies, which have long reported to the president rather than the prime minister.  Bortnikov — like Patrushev, Putin and Medvedev — comes from St. Petersburg but is believed to be closer to Medvedev than the Kremlin's siloviki clan, which includes Patrushev and Putin's longtime deputy chief of staff, Igor Sechin. As part of a larger reshuffle Monday, Putin appointed Sechin as deputy prime minister in charge of industrial policy and energy.  "He is Medvedev's man, not Sechin's," Andrei Soldatov, an analyst who tracks the security services, said of Bortnikov. "The reshuffle suggests that a plan to redivide control over law enforcement agencies has been shelved."….(Moscow Times, 13 May 08)

Russia signs sanctions law on Iran

…The Kremlin published the decree on its website declaring adherence to the March 3 UN Security Council Resolution 1803, which tightened measures against Iran as part of efforts to persuade Tehran to suspend controversial uranium enrichment.  The decree was signed on Monday this week by Vladimir Putin who stepped down as president on Wednesday and was replaced by Dmitry Medvedev…..(AFP, 8 May 08)

FSB Seeks To Clarify What Is Espionage

The Federal Security Service has drafted amendments to the Criminal Code clarifying the definition of espionage.
While the bill's supporters say it would help prevent citizens from facing groundless espionage charges, critics warn that if it becomes law, the bill could make it easier for the FSB to prosecute scientists and researchers, many of whom have already been caught up in spy scandals. The draft bill, which makes a distinction between deliberate espionage and disclosure of state secrets without intent to commit high treason, will be completed by Saturday…..(Moscow Times, 6 May 08)

Official: 2 spy planes downed over breakaway Georgia region

Forces from Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia shot down two unmanned Georgian spy planes over the territory on Sunday, an Abkhazian official said. Georgia denied the claim and traded accusations with Russia, which is struggling with the West for influence in the country strategically located on the Caspian Sea. Each says the incident indicates the other is preparing for war over the breakaway region…..(AP, 4 May 08)

Putin's legacy: strong Russia with a Soviet flavor

When Russian President Vladimir Putin steps down next week after eight years in power, he will leave behind him a strong Russia, self-confident at home and assertive abroad. But the smack of the Soviet past can be felt distinctly in the legacy that Putin, a steely-eyed former KGB spy, will hand over to his protege Dmitry Medvedev, who will be sworn in as the new president on May 7. Russia was in ruins when Putin became president in 1999…Eight years on, Russia is very different country and voters give Putin much of the credit -- he bows out with an unprecedented popularity rating of about 70 percent….(Reuters, 2 May 08)

The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered?

Alexander Litvinenko died on 23 November 2006, after a mysterious and painful illness. The cause was identified, less than two hours before his death, by scientists at the British government's Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston. They found that he had been poisoned, with the radioactive isotope polonium-210…Now, maybe the simple and obvious explanation is the correct one. Maybe Putin, a former KGB man – "once a chekist, always a chekist", as the saying goes (Lenin's Cheka was the forerunner of the KGB) – had personally issued the order to punish Litvinenko as the traitor that, in his eyes, he undoubtedly was. If you think it a stretch to believe that Putin himself commissioned the dirty deed, how about a splinter group of resentful erstwhile KGB colleagues?....(Independent, 2 May 08)

April 2008

Russian Prankster’s Sentence Is Suspended

…Actually, Anton Yepikhin, a local college student just wanted to have some fun with the Russian security services and knew just what to do to provoke them. He went off to his local internet café and circulated a prank message…. For pulling the hoax, a court in Barnaul slammed Mr. Yepikhin with a 16-month prison sentence on Friday, convicting him under a relatively new piece of legislation meant to punish false terrorism threats…..(Lede, 28 Apr 08)

Georgia-Russia spy plane row prompts OSCE mission

Europe's human rights and security watchdog said on Friday it will send a special envoy to Georgia next week to try to calm tensions with Russia after the shooting-down of an unmanned Georgian reconnaissance plane.

Finland's Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said he had expressed his serious concern about the situation to Russia and called for calm. "The first thing we will do, we will send our special envoy to the region on Tuesday,"….(Reuters, 25 Apr 08)

Report: Iran says Russia responsible for Azerbaijan block of equipment for nuclear plant

Iran is holding Moscow responsible for the halt in Azerbaijan by authorities there of a Russian shipment of nuclear equipment to Iran, according to a report this week by the semiofficial ISNA news agency. The report quoted an unnamed Iranian official as saying that the case of the halt of the shipment for Iran's nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr is the responsibility of the Russian contractor in the deal…..(AP, 24 Apr 08)

TNK-BP Field Investigation Extended

…The swirl of activity at TNK-BP, including visa issues for foreign employees that arose last month, masks an internal struggle among shareholders over when and for how much to sell part of the firm to state-owned Gazprom, sources have said…The FSB has made no further statements about the case against TNK-BP employee Ilya Zaslavsky and his brother Alexander, an independent energy consultant who heads the British Council's Alumni Club. The Oxford-educated brothers hold dual U.S. and Russian citizenship. The FSB charged the brothers with industrial espionage in mid-March…..(Moscow Times, 23 Apr 08)

UN Security Council to meet on Georgia-Russia dispute

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed-door meeting Wednesday to discuss Georgia's claims of Russian military aggression in the breakaway region of Abkhazia. Tensions between the two countries have escalated over two breakaway regions in Georgia _ Abkhazia and South Ossetia _ which have close ties to Moscow and have been independently run since the early 1990s when fighting with Georgian troops ended. Georgia claimed a Russian fighter jet shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane Sunday as it flew over Abkhazia….(AP, 22 Apr 08)

A Soviet Spy Caper: 25 Years Later

Dr. Paul Kengor: Marc, this is a pleasure. When we typically do our “V&V Q&A,” we interview a well-known expert on some major historical event that everyone remembers. No disrespect intended, but most people who have read this far into this interview are wondering, who is Marc Zimmerman, and what in the world did he do 25 years ago?... Zimmerman: Mikheyev was a Russian who served as a tour guide to my college buddy, Bob McGee, from New York, who had gone on a “Can’t-We-All-Just-Get-Along” excursion to the Soviet Union. Later in the year, Alex Mikheyev came to visit the United States by way of the United Nations and Bob asked me to show Mikheyev around D.C. when he visited…..(FrontPage, 22 Apr 08)

Grads charged with espionage

Two Oxford graduates are facing jail sentences after being charged with industrial espionage by Russian security services. Alexander Zaslavsky, 33, and IIya Zaslavsky, 29, were charged on March 20 after allegedly attempting to obtain classified information from a Russian employee of a “national hydrocarbon institution.” The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), whose predecessor was the KGB, said the accused “were illegally collecting classified commercial information for a number of foreign oil and gas companies to gain advantages over Russian competitors.” The case is connected to an investigation by the Russian Government into the Russian-British oil firm TNK-BP, whose premises were raided on March 19. FSB said, “The search produced material evidence of industrial espionage . . . and business cards of representatives of foreign defense departments and the Central Intelligence Agency”.....(Cherwell, 22 Apr 08)

Russia swaps Libya debt for deals

Russia has agreed to cancel $4.5bn (£2.3bn) of Libyan debt in exchange for major contracts for Russian firms. The announcement came during a visit to Tripoli on Thursday by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.  The two countries signed deals on energy co-operation, military assistance and construction of a 500km (310-mile) railway line in Libya.  Libya was a big importer of Soviet weaponry during the Cold War, when it accumulated large debts…..(BBC, 18 Apr 08)

Double-agent reveals name of Russian spy in the United Nations
Sergei Tretyakov, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service's (SVR) deputy station chief in New York from April 1995 until he defected on October 11, 2000, has unmasked the Russian spy in the United Nations, who held a pivotal post in the Oil-for-Food program for Iraq, online paper Lenta.ru reports, referring to The Times of London. Alexandre Kramar, who set the price of Iraqi crude as a UN oil overseer from 1996 to 2003, was an undercover agent for the SVR under the name of Comrade Sid, his former handler says. It provides fresh evidence of Russia's complicity in helping Saddam Hussein to circumvent UN sanctions imposed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The crumbling of the UN embargo, which was designed to prevent Iraq from rebuilding its weapons of mass destruction, was one of the factors behind the US and British decision to go to war in 2003……(Axis Globe, 14 Apr 08)

Comrade Sid: spy who siphoned off $½bn from Iraq Oil-for-Food deal

…Alexandre Kramar, who set the price of Iraqi crude as a UN oil overseer from 1996 to 2003, was an undercover agent for Russia's foreign intelligence agency, the SVR, his former handler says. The revelation throws new light on the UN Oil-for-Food scandal, which implicated dozens of politicians, diplomats and businessmen around the world, as well as the UN official overseeing the program, and the son of the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It provides fresh evidence of Russia's complicity in helping Saddam Hussein to circumvent UN sanctions imposed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The crumbling of the UN embargo, which was designed to prevent Iraq from rebuilding its weapons of mass destruction, was one of the factors behind the US and British decision to go to war in 2003……(Times Online, 28 Mar 08)

Putin takes 3-billion-dollar arms contracts to Libya

Russia’s outgoing President Vladimir Putin is making an official visit to Libya on April 16-17. Libya plans to purchase Russia’s military hardware in the sum of almost three billion dollars. Respective contracts have been prepared on the threshold of Putin’s visit to Libya. However, it is not ruled out that the contracts will not be signed due to the problem with the Libyan debt. Putin is visiting Libya on the invitation from the leader of the Libyan revolution, Muamar Kaddafi. Russia’s Finance Minister, Aleksei Kudrin and the Director of Russia’s major defense export enterprise Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin, are traveling to Libya with Putin, the Vedomosti newspaper reports…..Pravda, 15 Apr 08)

The Last Dance

…Much to Moscow's irritation, Russia has hardly been a major preoccupation for the Bush administration, and as a result it's harder for the president to make much bilateral headwa