Russia has Prevented 60 Terrorist Attacks

Russian intelligence services have thwarted 60 terrorist attacks this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking to security officials on their professional holiday, Putin said that even after his campaign in Syria, the Russian side would continue to work for "destroying the kennels of international terrorism." On Sunday, the Russian leader called on US President Donald Trump to thank him for information from the CIA, which the Kremlin said had helped prevent a series of bombings in St. Petersburg. Speaking to the security forces, Putin stressed the need to counteract foreign spies and to frustrate every attempt to interfere with Russia's domestic politics. "The great responsibility of the counter-intelligence and intelligence subdivisions is to put a reliable barrier to external interference in social and political life, to suppress the activities of foreign intelligence agencies that - and this is not a secret - are trying to strengthen their work in Russia," said Putin.