Sobolev: Vetcon made a significant contribution to the training of young counterintelligence officers
MOSCOW, March 10 - RIA Novosti. The Vetcon, a Russian public organization of counterintelligence veterans, has made a significant contribution to the professional training of young Russian counterintelligence officers and the popularization of counterintelligence, the head of Vetcon, former first deputy director of the FSB of Russia, and former deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, Valentin Sobolev, told RIA Novosti.
Vetcon was formed on March 10, 2000.
"In early 2000, a group of veterans of the Second Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR (counterintelligence), led by its former chief, the truly legendary counterintelligence officer Colonel General Grigory Fedorovich Grigorenko (whom generations of state security officers proudly call their teacher), decided to create a public organization of counterintelligence veterans," Sobolev said.
According to him, the purpose of the new organization was to combine the efforts and professional experience of veterans of the Second KGB Headquarters in order to assist the leadership of the Federal Security Service in solving the tasks of patriotic education and professional training of young employees, to help promote the work of the FSB in society, as well as to provide social and other assistance to veterans in need and their family members.
"Those ideas of the veterans found full understanding and support from the leadership of the FSB of Russia. In the future, we have always felt, and still feel, his constructive help in building and organizing the practical work of Vetcon. And we express our sincere gratitude for the constant help and support," Sobolev said.
According to him, a lot has been done in 25 years, and Vetcon members have something to be proud of.
"As for our assistance to the patriotic education and professional training of students of the FSB Academy, future counterintelligence officers, we are talking about ensuring that the theoretical knowledge already acquired by young people is complemented by the operational and life experience of real professionals. Vetcon members give these living examples directly at such meetings. We discuss their questions and see not just genuine interest, but a real need to acquire such knowledge. Moreover, I must say that Vetcon members also speak to cadets of Moscow schools, who also listen with great interest to the stories of veteran counterintelligence officers about their service," said the Vetcon head.
He added that Vetcon also pays a lot of attention to strengthening the positive image of Russian counterintelligence, including abroad.
"An equally important area of Vetcon's work is the organization and holding of events aimed at strengthening the positive image of Russian counterintelligence, both in our country and abroad, stories about its outstanding employees and operations of previous years, debunking all sorts of inventions and outright lies about domestic state security agencies," Sobolev added.
In particular, over the past quarter century, with the participation of Vetcon members, documentaries from the cycles "The KGB is Investigating", "Legends of State Security", and "The Secret Folder" were produced and shown on Russia's central TV channels. These films were repeated many times on the screen - and with constant success with the audience, Sobolev noted.
Among the main characters of these films are Pyotr Fedotov, the head of Soviet counterintelligence during the Great Patriotic War; Grigory Grigorenko, an outstanding employee of the Soviet special services, who headed the domestic counterintelligence in 1970-1983 (longer than anyone else); "CIA thunderstorm", head of the American KGB counterintelligence department Ram Krasilnikov, Vitaly Boyarov, Fedor Shcherbak, Mikhail Dedyukhin, Alexey Pushkarenko, Sergey Fedoseev.
"Vetcon's activities receive a positive assessment from the FSB leadership. But, of course, our organization does not stand still and is constantly looking for new forms of its activities. The main tasks of Vetcon in the near future are to improve the level and quality of work by assisting the leadership of the Federal Security Service in the patriotic education of young employees, to seek and implement new, more effective forms and methods of veteran work, to involve veterans of counterintelligence in the active life of Vetcon, and to increase the size of the organization. I am sure that all of us together will not only preserve, but also multiply the glorious traditions of our team," Sobolev said.
