President Vladimir Putin says that Western intelligence services have set it as their goal to destabilize Russia especially during upcoming elections, according to the Kremlin’s website.

In a speech Thursday in Moscow before top officials of the Federal Security Service, he said that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and politicized groups will take the lead in this effort.

“[We are seeing that] to attain their goals, Western intelligence services are unceasingly using civic non-governmental organizations and politicized associations. Above all, to discredit the government and destabilize the domestic situation in Russia, whereby operations are already planned for the upcoming 2016-12018 election campaigns,” Putin told officials of the KGB successor agency, according to a transcript of his speech posted by the Kremlin.

Russia is scheduled to hold parliamentary election in 2016, followed by a presidential poll in 2018, in which Putin could seek a fourth term as president.

Putin added that for these reasons, “the Russian government will continue to monitor NGOs for their sources of foreign financing, ascertaining that their activities are in line with their statutory objectives, so that we can take steps in response to any violations.”

Lauding the efforts of Russian counter-intelligence services, Putin said that last year alone they helped uncover and thwart the activities of more than 300 spies and agents.

But Putin said the government is always open to “constructive criticism.”

“We always listen to constructive criticism of the authorities’ action or lack of action at any level and this dialogue is always useful and simply necessary,” he said. But it would be pointless to have debates with those who take orders from an outsider, in the interest of… another country,” added he.

Following protests against his rule in 2012, Putin approved a law requiring NGOs engaged in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents,” and provide regular reports on their work and funding sources.

Putin has more than once expressed concern about the West attempting to orchestrate in Russia a “color revolution” – a reference to popular uprisings akin to those that occurred in Ukraine and Georgia.
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