Oleg Kalugin, 58, a former major general in the Soviet security police, told journalists that the top ranks of Russia's security operations still reflected "the old psychology and mentality of the people who were brought up in the Cold War spirit".
Speaking at the International Press Center, Kalugin cited a division that places undercover agents in the West as an example of Russians continued reliance on Cold War methods.
"It exists for no obvious reasons", he said. "The very existence of such an outfit in the intelligence service reflects the old psychology, the psychology of the Second World War".
Kalugin, currently completing his memoirs, has frequently criticized the Soviet and now Russian secret services, but in remarks Friday he said Russia's External Intelligence Division represents a shadow of its former threat.
"Really, can you expect a country that is today asking for financial help from the West to operate as freely as it did years ago? " he asked.
The collapse of a prime KGB mission - the promotion of communism - has also left its successor organizations dispirited and without focus, Kalugin said.
Over the last week, both wings of the former KGB - the External Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Security - both held press conferences to assert that hey had changed for the better and made valuable contributions to Russia in 1992.
The External Intelligence Service released a report for the first time publicly to warn of the dangers of nuclear proliferation.
And the Security Ministry showed off counterfeit money, drugs, and other booty seized in its fight against organized crime and corruption.
Kalugin argued that Russia needs to scale back its international operations.
"I would stop all covert operations in the West today, and the East just as well, because we do not need covert operations in the world which is not today divided into two combatting camps", he said.
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