Russian intelligence poses great threat to US, FBI director says

WASHINGTON (TASS) : US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said that Russian intelligence services maintain a presence in the US and pose a serious threat.

“The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large,” the Hill newspaper quoted the chief as saying. “The Russian intelligence footprint — and by that, I mean Russian intelligence officers — is still way too big in the United States,” Wray pointed out.

“And it’s something that we’re constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we cann,” the FBI director added. According to him, the US has made “very positive, significant strides” in this direction in recent years.

In June, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Maria Zabolotskaya, speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, said that the US intelligence services were exerting psychological pressure on the staff of the Russian mission to the world organization.

According to her, the United States continues to apply a number of measures and restrictions aimed at reducing the effectiveness of interaction between Russian diplomats and the UN. In particular, the recruitment efforts of local intelligence services have intensified.