Russia's Federal Security Service has denied reports it has protected Serbian war crime suspects, Interfax news agency reported Saturday.
Several international media organizations have carried reports that the Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, has provided shelter to a number of Serbian military commanders who have been accused of committing war crimes and whose extradition is being sought by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Interfax said.
"These allegations are untrue. The FSB has never provided and is not providing shelter to criminals," an FSB spokesman told Interfax Saturday. The FSB is cooperating with Interpol and other special services searching for criminals, he said according to the Interfax report.
"We view as provocative statements by some former Serb commanders alleging that they have been in Russia under FSB protection. They (the Serb commanders) have never been under FSB protection. These are pure inventions," the FSB spokesman said according to the report.
The new reports alleging the FSB has sheltered Serbian war crime suspects appeared following the recent surrender of Bosnian Serb Gojko Jankovic to the ICTY, Interfax said.
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