Speaking to Russian newspaper Kommersant, an unnamed FSB operative said: “If before we were just providing support to investigation, then now we’re being tasked with managing their progress from the moment that criminal charges are brought to their transfer to court”.
Advertisement
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Robert Gates and his long-time nemesis and former KGB agent, President Vladimir Putin of Russian Federation.
Markin has refused to comment on the first report and has denied the second.
During the Soviet era, Putin was himself a KGB officer stationed in the former East Germany and in his hometown of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).
He headed the FSB from July 1998 to August 1999, before becoming prime minister, and has often joked that there is no such thing as a former KGB officer.
The newly reincarnation MGB will essentially fill the role of the KGB and assume control over all intelligence activities – including domestic, foreign and counter-intelligence operations – as well as have the power to provide investigative material for cases opened by law enforcement officials and federal prosecutors.
Kremlin critics were horrified by the possible return of an institution synonymous with political oppression. “Anyone who can should take the opportunity”.
If the information is confirmed, the new superministry will also incorporate the Federal Protective Service of Russian Federation, which has the aforementione functions, and the foreign intelligence service, SVR.
Russian state-media outlet Kommersant reported late Monday that the Kremlin will creates a new security apparatus that would resemble the Soviet Union’s infamous KGB as part of a massive restructuring of Moscow’s intelligence agencies.
The MGB name was used previously to refer to a security organization active during Joseph Stalin’s rule.
The appointment of Sergei Naryshkin, announced Thursday by the Kremlin, came days after the Kremlin’s power-base party United Russia, won a crushing victory in parliament elections, taking three-quarters of the seats.
Parliamentary elections on Sunday delivered Putin’s ruling party a decisive majority, meaning the legislative body is unlikely to offer much opposition to the project.
Advertisement
Mr Putin is likely to use the result as a springboard for his own re-election campaign in 2018, though he has not yet confirmed whether he will seek another term.
