The Montenegrin government fired the head of the special service - he hinted that due to the exposure of Russian agents
At the suggestion of Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic on Friday, the government fired the country's acting head of the National Security Agency (NSA), Savo Kentera, who later hinted that this was due to his work against Russian agents.
It is reported by "European Truth" with reference to "Radio Liberty".
Kenteru was fired hours after Abazovich publicly denounced the National Security Agency's exposing Russian influence during a security forum in Budva.
The official was fired without warning at a government meeting, which took place remotely. Kentera, moreover, worked as acting head of the intelligence service for a little over five months - he was appointed in May after the formation of Abazovich's government.
The formal reason for his resignation was the recently exposed NSA theft of a heavy truck with cigarettes seized by customs as contraband. Customs director Rade Milosevic, who resigned after the scandal, accused senior intelligence officials of facilitating smuggling.
Kentera himself said after his resignation that the key question is not who fired him, but who "did not benefit" from the actions of the National Security Agency in recent months.
"There is the largest operation to expose the Russian spy network, 35 people were expelled from Montenegro, GRU agents in Montenegro were identified - and, in the end, someone says that we are not working well enough and does not name any reason, but replaces you with positions ... Everything is clear," the former official said.
Kentera simultaneously assured that "Russia, Serbia or someone else who does not want this country to be part of the West" will not be able to "throw their tentacles into Montenegro in the long term."
European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak called the dismissal of the head of the National Security Agency of Montenegro "a serious step" and expressed the hope that the Montenegrin government "has plausible answers" to the questions raised by Western countries.
And the former long-term prime minister, the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Milo Djukanovic, bluntly stated that Abazovich ordered Kentera to be fired because of fears that the NSA would "confirm the prime minister's connections with Russian special services and cigarette smuggling."
Recall that in recent weeks a political crisis has continued in Montenegro, caused by the decision of the government of Dritan Abazovich to sign an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church, which guaranteed it the right of ownership of church buildings and de facto gave the right to extraterritoriality.
As a result, the opposition voted for the resignation of the government, but Abazovich agreed with the pro-Serbian parties to form a new coalition. This, according to observers, threatens Montenegro's movement towards EU membership, as well as its membership in NATO.
See also: The crisis led to impeachment: how Montenegro chooses between the path to the West and the "Russian world".