Moscow – Russia’s foreign spy chief said military forces from other countries deployed at bases along Russia’s periphery are a threat to the nation, a Russian news agency reported Monday.
In comments that appeared directed at U.S. forces deployed on bases in former Soviet countries, the Interfax news agency quoted Sergei Lebedev, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, as saying Russia no longer had a “main adversary” as it did during the Cold War.
But “Russians cannot help but be concerned about new military bases and military contingents being deployed around our country,” he was quoted as saying.
Russia has watched warily as the United States deployed forces to the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and strengthened military and political ties with Ukraine and Georgia.
Also, the three Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004 over Moscow’s strong objections.
Earlier this year, Uzbekistan evicted U.S. forces from a base there after Washington criticized Uzbekistan’s authoritarian regime for a violent crackdown on a demonstration in May and other human rights abuses.
Kremlin leaders have also been jittery about mass protests that brought the opposition to power in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan over the past two years – protests that Russia says were backed by the West.
Lebedev did not name any specific countries that Russia considered a threat.
Lebedev also said that the Foreign Intelligence Service had no information that Iran was building nuclear weapons and he saw no reason to attack Iran.
Russia is helping Iran build a nuclear reactor at Bushehr, a project that Tehran says is intended strictly for electricity generation.
The United States, however, accuses Tehran of using the project as part of an effort to build atomic weapons.
