Medvedev and the FSB

This week President Dmitry Medvedev delivered a speech to senior officers of the FSB, presenting the new chief Aleksandr Vasilyevich Bortnikov, while thanking Nikolai Patrushev for his years of (controversial) service. Among other comments, Medvedev said that the FSB has a duty to protect Russia from religious and racial intolerance, and that the spy agency should continue to play a very strong role in the economy: “Our country’s economic security faces serious challenges. I am referring to protecting the Russian economy from corruption, criminality and industrial espionage, as well as to strengthening the safeguards for entrepreneurial activity and property rights. All actions taken by security agencies in this field should be strictly based on existing legislation. Aleksandr Vasilyevich has served as Director of the FSB Economic Security Service for a while. I am sure that he will keep a close eye on this aspect of the FSB’s activity.”