Russian Interior Minister Hails Special Police Force Training Standards

Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov has given a positive assessment of the special police force's /spetsnaz/ training standards according to the results of the police exercise that took place in Moscow on Tuesday.

They acted out methods of releasing hostages taken by armed criminals. In addition, operations to eliminate bandits indoors, detain criminals who seized a bus or an automobile were carried out successfully. All operations took just seconds.

Gryzlov lauded the teamwork of the entire spetsnaz personnel, emphasizing "the high professional level of the sniper group".

As regards spetsnaz' possible hostage release action, it is "either negotiations, or the use of force". "The Interior Ministry has never practised paying ransom to abductors", stressed Gryzlov.