Russia's FSB security to go international

MOSCOW, June 8 (UPI) -- Russia's parliament is expected to approve allowing the domestic FSB security agency to expand its activities into foreign countries, the Moscow Times reports.

The bill covering the boundaries of the Federal Security Service has little opposition, and is expected to pass through the Duma on second reading sometime this month, the newspaper said.

Now, intelligence operations outside Russia fall under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, or GRU.

But FSB lobbyists said the recent kidnappings of Russian diplomats in Iraq highlighted the need for the legislation, the report said.

"The amendments provide for special-operations units of the FSB to be used at the discretion of the president against terrorists and bases that are located outside the Russian Federation for the purpose of interdicting threats to the Russian Federation," said Mikhail Grishankov, deputy chairman of the Duma's Security Committee.