KHABAROVSK. Dec 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Foreign secret services continue intelligence-gathering operations in Russia's Far Eastern regions.
Security service chief of the Khabarovsk territory Anatoly Marenkov said at a press conference in Khabarovsk on Thursday that foreign secret services increased their activity to gather information about the local defense enterprises, strategic facilities, means of communication and natural resources. Instances of cooperation between Russian and foreign criminal organizations were also revealed, Marenkov said.
In 2001, Russian special services exposed several foreign intelligence agents, four of whom were ousted from the country and 12 were denied entry to Russia during the next five years.
The local security and customs agencies have exposed a foreign citizen who possessed means of gathering intelligence, and prevented the illegal export of valuable varieties of timber worth USD1m and the illicit import of expensive foreign-made cars.
Marenkov said that the local security services and other law-enforcement agencies have seized over 40 kilograms of explosives, six explosive devices, nine pieces of firearms and more than 13,000 pieces of ammunition.