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Putin hails 'courageous' Russian spies
By EUobserver
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday hailed the country's "courageous" spies as he visited the headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service to mark its 100th birthday, The Moscow Times reports. Putin, himself a former KGB officer, thanked all those who protect Russia from "external and internal threats" and called them "reliable and courageous people," and for guaranteeing "the sovereign, democratic and independent development of our multinational society."