Russia - Hamas, Hizbullah Not On Their Terror List

Russia published a list of 17 groups it regards as terrorist organizations and did not include the Palestinian movement Hamas or Lebanon's Hizbullah group.

The Russian Federal Security Service's top official in charge of fighting international terrorism, Yuri Sapunov, said that Hamas and Hizbullah were not a major threat to Russia and were not regarded as terrorist groups worldwide. But he said that Russian security agencies took account of international lists of terrorist groups when exchanging intelligence with foreign counterparts.

Sapunov said that the list of 17 "Includes only those organizations which represent the greatest threat to the security of our country."
Russia in the past has come under criticism for its refusal to list Hamas and Hizbullah as terrorist organizations.