RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER REPORTS ABOUT ACTIVITY OF RUSSIAN SECRET SERVICES IN AZERBAIJAN

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
April 2 2006

On March 27, the Russian “Novaya Gazeta” Newspaper published
sensational information about the participation of Russia’s secret
services in different conflicts in the former Soviet republics.

According to authors of the article, entitled “Our secret services
on the territory of former Union,” Moscow carries out espionage in
all former soviet republics, and is involved in all conflicts, wars
and disorders. Throughout the 90s GRU (Russia’s Chief Intelligence
Agency) of the Russian General Headquarters worked very actively in
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

During fights in Nagorno Karabakh, Russia did not only act as an
advisor, GRU subdivisions also actively supported Armenian forces. In
addition to this, GRU participated in the rebellion organized by
former Premier Suret Huseynov in 1994. In June 1997 Azerbaijan’s
National Security Minister Namik Abbasov stated, “During the attempt
of a coup d’etat, Huseynov’s GRU employees acted as ‘instructors.’
They worked with both Huseynov and his armed groups.”

In 1999 a new priority emerged in the work of the Russian secret
services; to control the political situation of the CIS. At that
time Moscow adopted a concept of information security for the CIS,
the number one threat identified by this initiative was “state
policy in some foreign states aimed at the global monitoring of
political, economic, military, ecological, and other processes to
obtain privileges.”

Later, conflicts broke out between Baku and Moscow’s secret
services, and three GRU agents were accused of spying; employees of
Russia’s Federal Security Bureau (FSB) were detained in Baku and
then deported. However, in 2005 the situation changed. Before the
parliamentary elections there was a “real danger of a coup d’etat,” and
Rasul Guliyev was going to come to Baku. Prior to this, FSB’s Director,
Patrushev, and the Director of Russia’s SRV (Chief Intelligence),
Lebedev, visited Baku. Lebedev was also in Baku on the day Guliyev
was supposed to come to arrive.

Such an obvious presence of the FSB and SRV’s heads was necessary
for Baku so it could demonstrate to Washington that Azerbaijan had
Russian support. The Russians agreed to play this role, just like
they did in Uzbekistan after the events in Andijan.

However, authors of the article believe that Baku and Tashkent are
not sincere in their intentions to cooperate with Russia; they only
want to take the advantage of conflicts between Moscow and Washington.