President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Good afternoon, Mr Bortnikov.
Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov: Mr President, I want to brief you on the investigation of crimes committed in Moscow by radical nationalists.
As a result of timely investigative work concerning certain groups we have been monitoring, we have identified a group that we suspect is involved in the murders of the lawyer [and human rights activist Stanislav] Markelov and [Novaya Gazeta] journalist [Anastasia] Baburova. The actual course of the investigation has confirmed our suspicions and on November 3 a decision to detain the criminals who committed this crime was taken.
Further investigations provided more incriminating evidence against those involved in the killing. We now have the necessary evidence at our disposal and the work that we have done has provided us with confessionary statements from the person who committed the murders of Mr Markelov and Ms Baburova. We have seized large quantities of firearms belonging to this group. In the course of our investigation we have also found evidence implicating this criminal organisation in another murder committed this September on nationalist grounds.
I would also like to report that our investigation revealed this criminal group's intention to commit another murder which we suspect to have been aimed at triggering strong public outrage. So we have been successful in preventing the commission of another felony.
For now the detained suspects have been turned over to the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor General's Office while the necessary additional investigative work is being carried out. The incriminating evidence has also been turned over to this Committee. We continue to closely monitor this group's activities.
I want to point out that this criminal organisation is really linked to nationalist gangs, which are unfortunately all too numerous in Moscow and its suburbs.
Dmitry Medvedev: The sorts of crimes you're talking about are not only very serious in themselves but have had profound repercussions throughout our society. It's therefore good that your activities have been conducted so quickly. I would like the investigative work carried out by the Federal Security Service and other law enforcement agencies regarding these crimes to continue. Naturally, as per the regulations governing such investigations, in such a case the results and proof of guilt, a confession in this particular instance, will be turned over to the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor General's Office and eventually to the courts. But this work must continue.
I hope to receive regular reports in this regard.
Alexander Bortnikov: Of course, Mr President, we will continue working on this.