Putin Goes After the NGO's...Again
On the heels of the scandal over British diplomats allegedly using a non-governmental organization (NGO) as a cover for their spy operations, Vlad Putin is going after the NGO's (again).
The New York Times reports:
President Vladimir V. Putin accused foreign intelligence operatives on Wednesday of using private groups to interfere in Russia's internal affairs, saying that accusations that four British diplomats were spies justified new government curbs on the groups.
Mr. Putin has previously criticized foreign support for groups involved in politics here, but on Wednesday he linked the groups to intelligence agencies more explicitly than before.
His remarks intensified a furor that erupted after the disclosure of what officials said was a British espionage operation that used a device concealed in a fake rock to exchange information with a Russian agent. ...
Note this quote from Vlad:
"We see that there are attempts to work with nongovernmental organizations with the help of special services and that there is financing of nongovernmental organizations through the channels of foreign secret services," Mr. Putin said in televised remarks from St. Petersburg, where he was meeting with leaders of other former Soviet republics.
"I think that nobody has the right, in the given situation, to claim that money has no smell," he added.
The Times also provides some more details on one of the diplomats accused of spying:
One of the accused British diplomats, identified as Marc Doe, oversaw British grants to private organizations, including some prominent groups that promote democracy and human rights. While intelligence officials acknowledged there was no direct connection between those grants and the espionage that has been alleged, the distinction has largely evaporated in the fury of Russian reaction to the spy scandal.
The New York Times reports:
President Vladimir V. Putin accused foreign intelligence operatives on Wednesday of using private groups to interfere in Russia's internal affairs, saying that accusations that four British diplomats were spies justified new government curbs on the groups.
Mr. Putin has previously criticized foreign support for groups involved in politics here, but on Wednesday he linked the groups to intelligence agencies more explicitly than before.
His remarks intensified a furor that erupted after the disclosure of what officials said was a British espionage operation that used a device concealed in a fake rock to exchange information with a Russian agent. ...
Note this quote from Vlad:
"We see that there are attempts to work with nongovernmental organizations with the help of special services and that there is financing of nongovernmental organizations through the channels of foreign secret services," Mr. Putin said in televised remarks from St. Petersburg, where he was meeting with leaders of other former Soviet republics.
"I think that nobody has the right, in the given situation, to claim that money has no smell," he added.
The Times also provides some more details on one of the diplomats accused of spying:
One of the accused British diplomats, identified as Marc Doe, oversaw British grants to private organizations, including some prominent groups that promote democracy and human rights. While intelligence officials acknowledged there was no direct connection between those grants and the espionage that has been alleged, the distinction has largely evaporated in the fury of Russian reaction to the spy scandal.
posted by Thomas Joscelyn at 9:52 AM
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