Answering the question of whether the American intelligence community missed the mark in assessing the ability of the Afghan government to retain power, Naryshkin noted that in this case, the matter is "not only in the Central Intelligence Agency."

“Yes, indeed, our colleagues from the Central Intelligence Agency cannot be envied now ... The fact is that what happened in Afghanistan and such a hasty withdrawal of troops and the flight of the puppet government of Afghanistan is all a consequence of the pernicious policy of the United States of America and the line on such implantation of its own model of social development, "- said the director of the SVR.

There are many to blame for such shortcomings, he stressed.

“This is, of course, the Ministry of Defense and military intelligence, the State Department.

This is also the apparatus of the presidential security adviser.

But, I repeat, the Central Intelligence Agency is part of this larger mechanism.

And, of course, in many ways, the fault lies with them, too, ”the head of the department said.

Naryshkin expressed confidence that the American leadership possessed the full amount of information about what is happening in Afghanistan and how events might develop.

“They left out one thing.

They did not take into account their own capabilities.

They didn’t want to face the truth, if you will.

And the truth was that the United States can no longer fulfill this function of such a global hegemon, taken by the United States itself, ”concluded the director of the service.

In August, The New York Times, citing sources, reported that American intelligence services, after examining the prospects for a Taliban * seizure of power in Afghanistan, had warned of a "rapid collapse of the Afghan army," despite statements by US President Joe Biden and his advisers that such an outcome is unlikely.

According to the adviser to the American president on national security, Jake Sullivan, the armed forces of Afghanistan did not have enough will to defend their country after the United States and NATO began to withdraw their forces from the republic.

* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.