The President has classified information on non-staff scouts
President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday a decree that made the list referred to state secret information, data about a new type of intelligence.
Upstairs
In accordance with the document referred to the state secret information “involved in the execution of reconnaissance tasks, the employees of external investigation of the Russian Federation, not included in the personnel of the” intelligence structures. In recognition of the former employee of special services, the term in the press he met for the first time. Information about the enlisted agents or Trustees who are not career intelligence, and it’s always been a secret, it is obvious that we are talking about a new phenomenon has emerged in recent years, says the source.
He suggested that this may be so-called fighters of the private military company Wagner operating in Ukraine and Syria, as management, apparently, involved such a body of foreign intelligence, like military intelligence, the GRU.
The law clearly does not say what the staff of foreign intelligence, says the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who specially studied this subject, defending the accused under the article on treason. The courts, he said, considered the matter unimportant. According to counsel, the staff are those employees who directly carry out intelligence activities.
To disclose information about these individuals was prohibited before, is reminiscent of Pavlov: “Now to the state secret will be treated and information about those who provide these people some assistance.” The lack of legal certainty in the designation of individuals whose information is classified, can lead to abuse, admits the lawyer, “For example, when a person is prosecuted, saying that he revealed some information, he asks them to elaborate, he would say, “forget it!” And the court will be forced to solve this question, but if we will talk about the accusations from the FSB, it can be assumed that the court here will be on the side of this service.”
In connection with the extension of the list of possible problems including when disclosing information about employees of PMC Wagner agrees Pavlov.
This will happen if it becomes known that PMCs soldiers are employees of a foreign intelligence performing some task, they can theoretically be attached to any structures, but so far no such information, says the expert.
By and large the extension of the list of the classified persons will lead to the fact that any mention of the employees will automatically become a state secret, says the author of books about the Russian intelligence services Andrey Soldatov: “Roughly speaking, a secret the whole sphere. To have any questions about the personalities within the intelligence services did not arise”. The expansion of the list allows you to classify and mention of the staff of PMCs Wagner, agrees: “There is a concept of “active reserve officer” (from unit seconded staff) — people who formally may not be included in the personnel and according to legend, considered to be former employees of special services, and in fact to remain seconded employees. Hypothetically they can be assigned anywhere — from the Bolshoi theatre to PMC Wagner.”
For mentioning such employees could face a penalty, regardless of the sign mentioning the list of classified information or not, confirms soldiers.