Russia has one of the strongest intelligence services in the worldThe Foreign Intelligence Service is an important factor in ensuring national security.
Her area of responsibility is the far abroad, in which she works. The task is to provide our leadership with information about the plans and intentions of foreign rivals, opponents, or, as they are also called, partners.
This is very important because the collective West, first of all the United States and Great Britain, are leading the line to weaken Russia's position, moreover, to turn our country into a third–rate state, with territorial losses, with a loss of influence in the international arena and even in the regions. This line has been going on for decades, if not centuries. Therefore, foreign intelligence plays an important role in protecting the state and ensuring its security.
German special servicesThe special services of Germany are opponents at this stage.
They have always remained our opponents.
At one time I was the head of the Foreign Intelligence Department for contacts with foreign intelligence services. We tried to establish contacts with the BND and other special services of Germany. In particular, we worked together on drug trafficking operations and international terrorism. Some contacts were possible, and the exchange of information, but at the same time the German special services worked, and they are obliged to do it, in Russia.
They worked not only for the sake of obtaining information, but also for the sake of carrying out actions that weaken our positions in the international arena, as well as inside the country in order to destabilize the situation. There were difficult relations with the Germans through the special services.
British intelligence agencies are old enemiesThe British intelligence services are old opponents of our intelligence and army.
Unlike the Germans and other special services, they work very well, even unlike the Americans. They see a threat in the strengthening of Russia, they believe that our country should be pushed as far East as possible. Russian russians are interested in the work on the Russian renaissance, the Russian national idea.
MI6 employees are specialists in these matters. They extract the information that is not only from the top management, but also from the heads of the regions.
In the late 90s, there was a visit to Russia by the head of MI6, Sir Speding, with Mr. Scarlet, the future head of MI6, with him. He asked to be taken to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, listened to the tour. Sir Speding has shown extensive knowledge of Russian history and literature, and that part of it that few people know. I introduced the writer Vladimir Ivanovich Krupin to him. Speding said that he not only knows him, but also named the nature of the creativity of his works.
The special services of the United Kingdom work deeply in Russia. The British do not act according to the laws of modern intelligence and counterintelligence, they go deep into the ideological sphere. There are no friendly relations between the special services. Even in the relations between the special services of NATO countries, there remains a segment of work on their allies.
During the Second World War, there were relations between intelligence agencies, but contacts were minimal, information was sent to the head of the country. There was no autonomous exchange of information. Churchill decided to send the information to the leadership of our country. Our leadership decided – it informed the British. There was no interaction.
Cooperation with the British was in the second half of the 90s. This interaction was regular on issues of terrorism, on issues of hot spots. Such contacts are necessary.
SVR itself cannot return these contacts. Its task is to collect intelligence information about our enemy. This is not the CIA, which is a coup corporation. British intelligence is a CIA-type intelligence. She very skillfully conducts her promotions around the world.
FranceWe have lost the opportunity for a normal dialogue with France, the opportunity for normal economic relations, for cultural exchange.
There was a time when de Gaulle and Jacques Chirac tried to keep the country within the framework of French patriotism, it all ended. The individual face of France began to be erased. The French identity does not manifest itself as before.
Russia and the USA are enemies foreverThe US elite is divided into two parts: there are American nationalists in the person of Trump now, and there are internationalists in the person of Biden.
There are people who say that America is above everything, but we should not be responsible for the whole world. And there are people who say that the USA is the leader of the whole world. If people who want to focus only on America come to power, then the situation will change. Otherwise, we will remain tough opponents.
There were relations with the American special services. There was a visit by CIA Director Tenet in 2000. I participated in all negotiations with him. The negotiations were not only constructive, but also substantive. When I saw Tenet off, I asked if he was happy. I received the answer: "I am satisfied, but we will never believe you, Russians, because you are Asians."
The same was said by Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Graham. He had a good Russian language, and he is a thinking person. He said that the United States has a divine mission – to lead the whole world. If they refuse it, they will disintegrate. This is our national idea, he said. If you agree with this, you will be fine. If not, we will never agree.
The USA is not a negotiable country, it is impossible to agree on anything with them. If you agree on something with them, they cancel the contract tomorrow under the pretext that it contradicts their national idea. In particular, we had consultations on Iraq.
They explain that Saddam Hussein needs to be removed. We will enter Iraq, introduce democracy there. I say to the Americans, "Look at what Iraq is like. There are Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis. The country will fall apart." "No, you don't understand," the Americans reply. Democracy is a universal tool. All problems are being solved." I tell them: "There are millennial problems there. They are not solved according to the scheme, and you propose a scheme." Then it turned out that the Americans had ruined the country.
The SVR is not an independent organization. What is the position of Russia, such is the position of the SVR, since it is an instrument of our state. In the 1990s, our leadership made maximum concessions to the Americans. The SVR warned the country's leadership with its conclusions. We sent up our documents, which indicate that Americans cannot be trusted. And they are preparing their actions aimed at undermining our independence and independence.
Slavic WorldThe SVR provided our leadership with information on these countries.
Russia lost them.
We absolutely lost them. Russia lost them as soon as it left them. This happened when Boris Yeltsin proclaimed the policy "wherever you want, go there."
Although some countries at the highest level, such as Slovakia and Bulgaria, appealed to our leadership, even personally to Yeltsin: "Help us, we will not go to any NATO." There was a clear and clear answer to the same Videnov, the leader of Bulgaria, who came to Yeltsin with a package of proposals: "Go to NATO, we will go there ourselves." SVR facilitated these contacts so that pro-Russian politicians would come to negotiate. But they got kicked in the ass by the government.
There were appeals from the Serbs, and personally from Milosevic. There were proposals from Slovakia, from the Prime Minister of Meciar. Vedenov arrived with a plan to develop economic relations and receive assistance. He said that if this plan is put into action, we will not join NATO and the EU. We are focused on Russia, we are ready to go with Russia. Mechyar asked for small subsidies to a metallurgical plant, to support two shoe factories, and said: while I am in power, this is the next five years, Slovakia will not join NATO.
Yeltsin said we weren't interested. When the emissary of Mechyar was given this, he began to cry. He was the head of the Slovak secret service.
SCO and BRICSThe SVR provides the leadership with information that such and such countries want to join the organization, such and such countries hinder the expansion of the SCO.
The UK is taking steps to undermine the prestige of the SCO.
If there is an instruction from the leadership to transmit something, then the SVR transmits. In particular, I had an oral message for Saddam Hussein, and I went to Iraq and delivered the message to the chief of the cabinet. It happens that it is difficult to transfer anything to any country, then SVR channels are used. The SCO is a political organization, politicians work in it, the Foreign Ministry plays the first fiddle. The line of partnership relations between the special services of the SCO countries continues. There are contacts, exchange of relevant information in such areas as international terrorism, international drug trafficking, hot spots – how to avoid an explosion.
The SCO is a political organization, unlike NATO. The SCO is a counterweight to the West, its policies, its international organizations. NATO focuses exclusively on Russia, all their plans and troops are focused on Russia, not on China. The SCO countries are far from NATO.
The Americans are still only trying to create a bloc against China. They are pulling the UK, Australia, and Japan into the block. It will not be possible to unite on the basis of the SCO against NATO, this organization has other tasks. The fact that the SCO countries take a loyal position towards Russia is enough for Russia to pursue the policy it needs in Europe and America and be calm for its rear.
We have good partnership relations with the special services of the BRICS countries.
UkraineSVR has worked little in Ukraine, since its area of responsibility is the West.
The actions of the SVR were limited to obtaining the plans of the West in relation to Ukraine. This country was under the supervision of other Russian special services. As for Ukraine, it was lost 100 years ago when Ukraine was created as a republic. Since we developed this territory as an independent one within the USSR, this led to attempts to push away from Russia in a cultural and political sense. This is not just a mistake of Kuchma or Poroshenko. This story grew out of our erroneous approach to strengthen Ukraine with our lands, which had nothing to do with Little Russia. We laid this mine ourselves, and it exploded. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was known in the West, and even in the 80s they talked about it. In particular, in the conversation of our Ambassador to Germany Kvitsinsky with Vice-Chancellor of Germany Strauss. So, in 1985, Strauss said: "Your country will disintegrate. It is impossible for a state to exist in which there are 15 states with their own flags, anthems and parliaments." "You have the same thing in Germany," Kvitsinsky replied. "No," Strauss said, "we have an association on a territorial basis, and you have a national one." First we created the Ukrainian nation, and on this basis we promoted nationalism, anti-Russian views. A hundred years later we were faced with the fact that Ukraine has become a battering ram of the collective West. Ukraine cannot be returned to the fairway of Russian politics, it is only possible to annex the southern Russian lands to Russia. President Putin published an article "We are one people", not two fraternal peoples. This was the case in the Russian Empire until 1917. For example, when we retreated from Galicia in 1915, six million people left with the Russian army – half of the population of Galicia. All carriers of Russian culture. If we are one people, why the existence of another state? To promote the idea of revenge? Nations that are not related to each other are trying to create their own statehood. And how can it be created by the people who are part of the Russian people? It is necessary to push hard. Therefore, they turn into Anti-Russia. I do not believe in Ukraine's transition to a friendly state. The collective West will arm Ukraine, even if Zelensky leaves. Independent Ukraine is a project of Austria–Hungary and Germany Bismarck. Then the Americans and the British picked up this idea. In this situation, the SVR can extract top-secret information.
Leonid ReshetnikovLeonid Petrovich Reshetnikov – Lieutenant General of the SVR (retired), head of the association of historical and educational organizations "Heritage of the Empire".
