Putin praises skills of GRU spy agency accused of UK poison attack

[rooster59]

Putin praises skills of GRU spy agency accused of UK poison attack

By Tom Balmforth

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the event marking the 100th anniversary of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, formerly known as the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), in Moscow, Russia November 2, 2018. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin praised the skill and "unique abilities" of Russia's military spies on Friday in a show of support for an intelligence agency that the West has blamed for a string of brazen attacks.

 

At a ceremony marking the centenary of Russia's military intelligence agency, Putin, in comments likely to be seen as provocative in the West, saluted its operatives for carrying out daring special operations and said they provided a model for a future generation.

 

Britain has accused the GRU agency of attempting to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury, the Netherlands has accused it of trying to hack the global chemical weapons watchdog, and U.S. intelligence agencies have accused it of trying to hack the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

 

Russia denies all those allegations.

 

"As supreme commander, I of course know with no exaggeration about your unique abilities including in conducting special operations," said Putin.

 

"I am confident of your professionalism, of your personal daring and decisiveness and that each of you will do all that is required by Russia and our people."

 

The operatives of the agency, widely known by its old acronym of GRU, set an example for a future generation of military spies, he added, citing their readiness to sacrifice everything "for the motherland."

 

Speaking at the closed ceremony at the Russian Army's theatre in Moscow which was broadcast on national television, Putin also thanked military intelligence officers for their "huge role" in liquidating militant leaders and infrastructure in Syria.

 

He also spoke of the need to help the agency develop and upgrade its capabilities.

 

The GRU has been in the spotlight since two men whom London blames for the Skripal poisoning admitted on Russian TV they had been in Salisbury on the day of the attack, but said they had only been there to see the city's famous cathedral spire.

 

Putin, himself a former intelligence officer who served as director of the domestic intelligence service before ascending to the presidency, makes regular public shows of support for Russia's spies.

 

In 2010, he recounted at length about how he met a ring of Russian agents who were arrested for espionage in the United States and sang patriotic songs with them after they were returned to Russia in a spy swap.

 

The GRU was founded as the Registration Directorate in 1918 after the Bolshevik Revolution. Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin insisted on its independence from other secret services, which saw it as a rival.

 

The GRU is one of Russia's three main intelligence agencies, alongside the domestic Federal Security Service and the SVR Foreign Intelligence Service.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-03

[worgeordie]

I thought instead of praise,that a few heads would be rolling

at  the GRU, after the cock up at Salisbury by their operatives,

maybe there has been repercussions,we will never know. 

regards Worgeordie

[sammieuk1]

Credit where credit is due your a complete knob Vlad undone by superior intelligence ????

[fvw53]

...and shouldn't we get worried that this guy got in Helsinki a face to face meeting of 2 hours - without any other presence - with Donald Trump

[Tug]

I guess praise is due if you wanted to draw attention to your self and expose to the world that you and your government are ruthless thugs it did a good job in that respect kinda like Kim in n Korea oh wait that’s Donald’s buddeys go figure!!

[IAMHERE]

Got to be concerned with his definition of success; the targets are alive, one non-target is dead, blow back is almost serious.  Reminds me of "Mission Accomplished" after Iraq was left leaderless. 

[RamblingOn]

Not much has changed in Russia  since the Stalin, giving due where no due should be given. Poor Russians.

[grumpy 4680]

High praise from a former Russian spy, who should of been strangled at birth.

[grumpy 4680]

     Putin should be celebrating 100 years of Thugs, Murderers and Power crazy leadership. 

 

                   1918  Lenin  -  2018   Putin.     (not forgetting Stalin 1938.)

Edited November 4, 2018 by grumpy 4680

[spidermike007]

Seems as though the GRU has seen some massive failures lately, in the recent hits it was ordered to carry out, on "enemies of the dictator", King Vlad. I am not so sure if his pride is not misplaced. He is a despot. He is a dangerous man. But unlike his best buddy in the US, he appears to be a stable genius. Got to give him some credit for that.

[ballpoint]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 11:50 AM, worgeordie said:

I thought instead of praise,that a few heads would be rolling

at  the GRU, after the cock up at Salisbury by their operatives,

maybe there has been repercussions,we will never know. 

regards Worgeordie

The coup they scored by installing their own man as POTUS trumps (pun intended) any small cock ups.  And, was Salisbury really such a cockup?  Everyone knows who did it.  Nothing real has been done to Russia as punishment, and anyone else considering becoming an anti-Russian agent will be having serious second thoughts.

[grumpy 4680]

   CASE CLOSED.. The GRU man responsible is mysteriously dead now.

[mtls2005]

48 minutes ago, grumpy 4680 said:

   CASE CLOSED.. The GRU man responsible is mysteriously dead now.

 

"from a long illness".

 

Gravity Overdose?

 

The massive cock-up was that the GRU issued consecutive numbered passports to several hundred GRU agents, so by expanding the list up and down from the Skripal lads, it was easy to identify, and in some case, locate all these agents. Oops.

 

 

Head of Russian spy agency accused of British poison attack dies

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The head of Russia’s military intelligence agency that the West has blamed for a string of brazen attacks died on Wednesday after “a serious and long illness”, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday, hailing him as a “true son of Russia.”

 

https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1NR0A4

 

 

Edited November 23, 2018 by mtls2005

[grumpy 4680]

        It was said he became ill after his meeting and dressing down with Putin, and then collapsed as soon as he got home, with a serious illness, how suspicious does one have to be to put 2 and 2 together and make 4. no mention of family request for an autopsy.