USA outraged with Russia's unwillingness to ask for help

U.S. lawmakers - at least some of them - have questioned the competence of Russian special services. It goes about security at the Olympic Games. At the same time, they say that U.S. intelligence agencies are satisfied with cooperation with Russian colleagues. Meanwhile, Russian experts remind that Russia had warned America of Boston attacks staged by Tsarnaev brothers. But U.S. intelligence agencies ignored those messages.

The above-mentioned statements were made after Vladimir Putin, in an interview with several TV channels about the Olympics in Sochi, said that Russia was perfectly aware of threats to security at the Games. Russia knows how to stop them, Putin added.

"I hope that everything that we do, we do with understanding, with clear understanding of the operational situation that develops around Sochi and in the region in general, we have a perfect understanding of what it is, what kind of a threat it is and how to struggle against it," said the president.

In an interview with CNN, the head of the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Rogers, said that there was a rupture in cooperation "between security services."

According to him, Russian special services had not specified the type of possible threats. About 15,000 Americans are going to arrive for the Olympic Games in Sochi, and Russia, the congressman believes, should ensure total cooperation with the U.S.

At the same time, the chairman of the committee on national security, Republican Michael McCaul, said in an interview with ABC said that the U.S. intelligence agencies that cooperate with Russian ones, are satisfied with their work.

The Diplomatic Security Corps (of the U.S. State Department) said that cooperation was fine, McCaul said. It goes about the Diplomatic Security Service - the law-enforcement directorate of the State Department, which has the status of a separate federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The department, on behalf of all U.S. intelligence services, coordinates cooperation with Russian services to ensure everyone's safety at the Sochi Olympics.

McCaul also gave a negative assessment to the issue of security at the Games. According to him, cooperation with Russian special services could be better.

Another critic is former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell. In an interview with CBS, he said that the U.S. had always cooperated with all countries, where Olympic Games were held. With Russia, he added, there was no such level of cooperation reached.

According to Morrel, this is being done deliberately. Russian special services deliberately do not want to admit that they do not control the situation completely not to ask for help, the US official said.

Meanwhile, FBI Director James Comey said that employees of his department, including himself, "were personally in regular contact with law-enforcement organizations of Russia "to ensure that we co-ordinate our actions well."

"I think we can do it. We have improved the exchange of information in the fight against terrorism, and this is important," said Comey.

According to unofficial data, there are at least several hundred employees of U.S. intelligence services staying in Russia now. Several dozens of them are from the FBI, and not less than 350 come from the Diplomatic Security Service.

Interestingly, it is the people who are somehow connected with intelligence activities of U.S. special services, who express discontent with the level of cooperation. Those dealing with security are more diplomatic in their remarks.

FSB Retired Major-General Yevgeny Lobachyov said that the claims from American politicians were "nonsensical."

"The NSA monitors everyone everywhere and claims to know everything about everyone. And then they come to Russia with a request to provide some materials to them that would help them understand the level of terrorist threats. This is nonsense," he told Politonline.ru.

According to Lobachyov, "one should not have provided any materials on the subject."

"But on our part, all necessary materials have been provided, and nobody denies that. I believe that this is another political provocation from the United States," he said.

Former First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Kolesnikov considers the claims from the Americans unfounded as well.

"When our intelligence agencies received information about Tsarnaev brothers, we immediately reported it to Americans. Unfortunately, they did not look into that after they received the information. As a result, many American citizens suffered," he told Politonline.ru.

"We are open, and we share any information that can help solve this evil immediately. Saying that we hide some information is biased, to put it mildly," said Vladimir Kolesnikov.

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Author`s name Dmitry Sudakov
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