Putin orders FSB to ‘identify and punish traitors joining Ukrainian Forces’
President Vladimir Putin has called on Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to "identify by name" those who have betrayed the country by joining Ukrainian military units. "We will punish them indefinitely, wherever they may be found," the Russian president declared during a meeting of the security service’s board on Tuesday, 19 March.
In his speech, Putin spoke about the situation in regions bordering Ukraine. Several days earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense, pro-military bloggers, and regional authorities reported clashes with the Russian armed opposition units attempting to enter Russia’s borders. Putin included not only the regular Ukrainian army in his definition of "sabotage and terrorist gangs" but also "foreign mercenaries" and "all kinds of rabble."
Furthermore, Putin instructed the FSB, in collaboration with other security agencies, to intensify anti-terrorist efforts. "We are dealing with a strong, dangerous adversary equipped with vast informational, technical, and financial capacities," Putin clarified.
At the same time, the president criticized statements from several countries regarding the threat of terrorist acts in Russia, labeling these allegations as "provocative" and comparing them to an intention to intimidate Russians.
On 7 March, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning about the threat of terrorist attacks within the next 48 hours, advising its citizens to avoid public events in Moscow. The following day, the embassies of Latvia, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic also joined the United States in issuing similar warnings.