US intelligence services keep their eyes on Russian troops in Crimea

Russia is ready to cooperate with the U.S. in the fight against drug trafficking, despite Western sanctions against the Russian Federation over the Crimean issue, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service Viktor Ivanov told reporters.

He noted that the struggle against drugs was a priority for all countries.

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence is trying to expand the zone, from which U.S. satellites can monitor the territory of Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic States and increase the efficiency of interception of telephone and other conversations in these countries, an article in The Wall Street Journal said.

According to sources of the publication in the Obama administration, "U.S. officials hope that the new equipment and the expansion of analysts will give an opportunity to better monitor the Russian troops, and help the U.S. foresee actions of the Russian authorities."

The decision was made due to the fact that during the Ukrainian crisis, American intelligence functioned ineffectively in regard to interception of telephone and other conversations of Russian politicians and military officials. The USA is particularly interested in the Russian troops stationed near the Ukrainian border.