Defence Minister: security agencies have no right to be taken unawares

Every security-related agency should be most ready at any second to fulfil its mission, said Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday. He was speaking at the Sergeyevsky firing range in Primorye (the Far Eastern region on the west coast of the Sea of Japan. The time gap with Moscow is +7 hours).

"The main thing is that every security agency should be mobilised to the maximum, be on the alert, and on permanent stand-by to fulfil its specific task," the defence minister said, replying to a RIA Novosti request to comment on the events in Ingushetia.

"None of the buildings was captured by the bandits, although we suffered heavy losses, above all by the Interior Ministry and the FSB," Ivanov said.

The minister is on a working tour of the Far East, where he is watching the progress of the Mobility-2004 exercise.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the range on Wednesday. He is on a working trip to Vladivostok. From the command post the head of state will observe the active phase of the exercise.