Vladimir Putin calls on Russia’s security services to hunt down ‘traitors’
- Russia’s president gives speech at FSB’s annual meeting following his election win this week
- Putin tells security services that ‘we are dealing with a strong and dangerous adversary’
Vladimir Putin called for “traitors” to be hunted down in an address to the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, in Moscow on Tuesday following his re-election as Russian president.
There have been repeated cases of Russians being murdered, some while abroad, or dying under unexplained circumstances.
In a speech at the FSB spy service’s annual meeting at the Lubyanka in central Moscow, Putin referred specifically to attacks mounted from Ukraine on the Belgorod region along the border, where there have recently been civilian casualties. Intensive attacks took place in the region during the elections between Friday and Sunday.
Putin referred to terrorism aimed at disrupting the vote. He accused “sabotage and terrorist groups” of acting alongside Ukrainian forces, mercenaries and other “rabble”. The latter could refer to Russian citizens who have gone over to the Ukrainian side.