Spies Recalled, Russian Says
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MOSCOW — An espionage official Thursday denied U.S. charges that Russia has increased military spying and said Moscow has recalled nearly a third of its foreign spies since the failed coup last August.
Lt. Gen. Vyacheslav Trubnikov, first deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, said his agency is focusing on protecting Russia’s economic interests.
The agency has sharply reduced its operations “in regions where our current interests are minor and minimal,” Trubnikov said at a news conference.
U.S. intelligence agencies say any cuts in spying by the Foreign Intelligence Service have been offset by increased activity by the ex-Soviet Union’s military intelligence service.
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