Russia faces 'invisible enemy'

2004-09-12 15:04

Moscow - Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday that Russia was facing an invisible enemy in the face of Chechen rebels and urged the country to be on the lookout for future attacks.

"We are facing a very serious force - they are well organized ... and are receiving strong financial help" from abroad, Ivanov told NTV television in a pre-recorded interview.

One of the closest allies of President Vladimir Putin - and a former KGB agent who followed in the secret service footsteps of the Kremlin chief - Ivanov admitted in rare candid remarks that Russians must realize that they are in a state of war.

Echoing other top officials, Ivanov said Russia was coming under attack from what he alleged were international terror networks and that people must take precaution as they go about their daily business.

He offered no direct path to safety, but his comments underlined the difficulties Russia faces five years into a Chechen war that has now reached a new stage, with attacks against Russian civilians killing over 400 people, including some 150 children, in the past month.

- AFP