ISRAEL PURCHASED RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE PHOTOS.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that between 1993 and 1995, the Israeli government had purchased hundreds of satellite photos of Syria, Iran and Iraq from Russian intelligence. Israel reportedly paid $1 million for the information. The newspaper said that details of the secret sales were revealed during the trial — currently ongoing — of two Russian military intelligence officers. (AP, March 30) The Israeli newspaper is presumably referring to a case involving a group of officers serving in Russian Military Intelligence (GRU). On March 20, one of those officers–Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Tkachenko–was sentenced to three years in prison. Another Russian officer was convicted earlier when he was implicated in the same case. (Russian agencies, March 20; see Monitor, March 25)

Russia’s Elusive Borders.