SOCHI, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin said Saturday massive dismissals in the security bodies were a result of internal investigation.
"This is a result of painstaking, extensive efforts by security agencies, above all FSB [Federal Security Service] and the customs service's internal security department," Putin said.
On Friday, Putin fired a number of senior security officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov dismissed high-ranking officials from the Federal Customs Service as investigators opened a major probe into corruption.
Meeting in his residence on the Black Sea with executives and journalists of the state-owned VGTRK television and radio holding, the largest in Europe, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, Putin dismissed speculation that the major shakeup had been timed to follow the state of the nation address.
Putin said in his state of the nation address Wednesday that anti-corruption efforts would be intensified. On Friday, a series of high-profile dismissals were announced.
Major General Ye.A. Kolesnikov was dismissed as first deputy head of the investigation directorate with the FSB's department for defending constitutional order and the fight against terrorism and discharged from active service. Major General A.P. Plotnikov, a deputy head in the same department, was also sacked.
Lieutenant General S.I. Fomenko, the deputy head of the service and the head of the agency overseeing the campaign against smuggling and drugs with the FSB's economic security service was also fired.
Following Putin's decision Thursday to transfer the Federal Customs Service from the Economic Development and Trade Ministry to the government's direct control, Fradkov fired Friday FCS chief Alexander Zherikhov and two of his deputies, Yury Azarov and Leonid Lozbenko.
Investigators said they had opened 20 probes into the economics ministry and customs services, one of which concerned the incorrect issue of licenses for meat imports that cost the state 27 million euros ($35 million).
Prosecutors in a number of Russian regions are also looking into the local customs bodies' permission to sell allegedly fake Georgian and Moldovan wine.
Putin said that anti-corruption efforts would go on in state bodies.
"The work is not over yet, and not only in the customs sphere," Putin said.
