29-06-10 Russia denies spying against the U.S.

Moscow today said today that allegations by United States authorities that they have broken up a Russian spy ring and arrested 11 of its members are baseless and improper.In a statement Russia's Foreign Ministry said the charges laid by the U.S. Justice Department after years of work by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reminiscent of the Cold War.“We deeply regret that all this has happened against the background of the relations reset declared by the U.S. administration,” the statement said.And Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov questioned the timing of the announcement of the arrests on Monday,just days after President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev met in Washington during a tour by Medvedev of the U.S.,including visits to high-tech firms in California's Silicon Valley.The two went out to a restaurant for cheeseburgers,walked in a park and exchanged jokes in a manner suggesting they have established a personal rapport.The timing of the arrests and the announcement of charges against the 11,most of whom appear to be Russians who have adopted fake western identities,have prompted many Russian observers and analysts to speculate there is an attempt by American officials to undermine Obama's policy to revive relations with Russia,which cooled to freezing point during the presidency of George W. Bush.The American Justice Department accuses the 10 people arrested in the U.S. on Sunday of working under orders of Russia's External Intelligence Service,known as SVR and the post-Cold War successor to the KGB.An eleventh person,said to be a Canadian citizen,as arrested today in Cyprus while trying to leave for Budapest and faces extradition to the U.S.They are accused of collecting confidential and secret information dealing with U.S. foreign policy,especially towards Russia,and personal data on key American officials such as members of the Central Intelligence Agency.They are also accused of trying to obtain American technology secrets,such as the research program on small-yield,high-penetration nuclear warheads.