PRESS RELEASE

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Putin: No One Will Intimidate Russia

March 27, 2015 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered remarks to a meeting of the board of the Federal Security Service (FSB) yesterday, in which he provided a summary of the conditions facing Russia in 2014 and the role of the FSB in the past year and going forward. He described the year 2014 as "not an easy one," one in which tensions escalated in the Middle East and witnessed a state coup in Ukraine that provoked a civil war.

"Russia is making significant efforts to reconcile the parties and normalize the situation. We have already received and continue receiving thousands, even hundreds of thousands of refugees and are doing all we can to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe," he said. "However, our position, our independent policy and even attempts to help those in need, including in Ukraine and some other areas, are causing outright irritation on the part of those we traditionally call our colleagues and partners."

"They are using their entire arsenal of means for the so-called deterrence of Russia: from attempts at political isolation and economic pressure to large-scale information war and special services operations. As it was recently stated quite openly: those who disagree will have their arms twisted periodically. However, this does not work with Russia; it never has, and never will.

"Meanwhile, NATO is developing its rapid deployment forces and building up its infrastructure near our borders. Attempts are being made to violate the existing nuclear parity, European and Asia-Pacific segments of the ABM system are being created at an increased pace.

"I would like to remind you that the unilateral withdrawal by the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty has toppled the very foundation of the modern international security system. Completely new systems are being developed capable of dealing a ’lightning global blow’ and conducting operations in outer space.

"However, it is obvious that nobody has ever managed to intimidate this country or put pressure on it, and nobody ever will. We have always had and always will have a proper response to all internal and external threats to national security."

Putin devoted the second part of his remarks to the tasks of the FSB, noting, among other things, that

"citizens of Russia and other CIS states are being trained at the so-called hot-spots, including within groups of the Islamic State on the territory of Syria and other countries. Later they may be used against us, against Russia and its neighbors."

"Western special services continue their attempts at using public, non-governmental, and politicized organizations to pursue their own objectives, primarily to discredit the authorities and destabilize the internal situation in Russia," Putin warned. "They are already planning their actions for the upcoming election campaigns of 2016-2018."