Bribery, blackmail and Bond-style gadgets. What the FSB says Britain is up to

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Bribery, blackmail and Bond-style gadgets. What the FSB says Britain is up to in Russia
· Spy agency chief accuses MI6 of cold war campaign
· Latest salvo in diplomatic row since polonium plot

The head of Russia's FSB spy agency yesterday accused Britain and MI6 of leading a campaign to destabilise the country, and said that British agents were using old-fashioned techniques such as "bribery and blackmail" to recruit Russian citizens.

Nikolai Patrushev, director of the Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, said foreign spies were trying to weaken and dismantle Russia ahead of elections for the Duma (parliament) in December and a presidential poll next year. He singled out Britain for special mention. In an interview with the mass-selling Argumenty I Fakty newspaper, Mr Patrushev said the British intelligence agency MI6 was not only recruiting spies but was also attempting to meddle directly in Russia's internal affairs.

He also claimed that British intelligence was supplying its Russian agents with new gadgets. They included a James Bond-like communications device hidden in a laptop charger, and sophisticated software that allowed agents to use their computers without leaving traces on the hard drive.

"MI6 is not only gathering intelligence in all areas but is also trying to influence the domestic political situation in our country, Mr Patrushev said. "Politicians thinking in cold war categories still retain influence in a number of western nations."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2188254,00.html