Russia dismisses ‘baseless’ US allegations over ’secret agents’
By ANITuesday, June 29, 2010
WASHINGTON - Russia has dismissed allegations that it ordered 11 secret agents to run a “deep cover” spying operation in the US as “baseless”.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the arrests by the FBI were “deplorable” at a time when the two countries’ leaders were trying to improve relations.
“Such actions are baseless and improper. It is highly deplorable that all of this is happening against the background of the reset in Russia-US ties announced by the US administration itself,” The Telegraph quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, as saying.
The defendants are accused of being so-called “illegals”, working for the Russian foreign secret service under false identities to penetrate US government policy-making circles.
It is alleged that they were tasked with gleaning intelligence on nuclear weapons, foreign policy and Congressional politics.
The scandal comes just days after a bilateral summit between President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Barack Obama that was designed to underscore warming ties between the two Cold War adversaries. (ANI)
