MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Following the Snowden incident, Russia’s secret service orders typewriters

President Vladimir Putin, an old KGB master spy knows what he’s talking about

The Kremlin's security agency is buying up typewriters to avoid damaging leaks in a move said to be motivated by the recent US surveillance scandals. Russia's Federal Protective Service, the KGB's successor in charge of protecting President Vladimir Putin and his officials, placed an order for 20 typewriters, according to the state procurement website.

The agency, known by its Russian acronym FSO, is ready to pay £500 each for them, Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia reported.

It said the FSO believed it was necessary to expand the use of typewriters after American Edward Snowden reportedly used a simple flash drive to reveal the extent of the US government's phone and internet surveillance programmes.

“After the scandal with the spread of classified documents, WikiLeaks, revelations of Edward Snowden, reports of tapping Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to the G20 summit in London, it has been decided to expand the practice of creating paper documents,” a FSO source told Izvestia.

Typewriters have already been used for printing drafts of some official documents and reports presented to Mr Putin, according to the report.

The Russian newspaper also said the FSO has been ordering print cartridge ribbons for the Triumph Adler Twain 180. This model “allows you to create fairly complex documents for use in their professional organisations”, it said.

The FSO has not commented on why it needs the devices.