SVR: Intelligence agencies remain 'almost the only' link between Russia and Europe

(Patria) - These days, almost the only communication between Russia and Europe is through intelligence agencies, said the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin in an interview with TASS.

Responding to a question about whether the Russian side notices more common sense in the approaches of European countries' intelligence agencies than in the activities of their politicians, Naryshkin said that "intelligence agencies' approaches largely align with the policies of their states".

"But given the non-existent state of diplomatic relations due to current circumstances, the partner channel is almost the only link of interaction between states," he emphasized.

He added that the relevant channel "operates with different countries, with different intelligence agencies, to varying degrees, depending on the level of interstate relations, depending on the tasks facing each special service".