Several media organizations have aired various kinds of threat potential of late, a ministry statement said. Last week, Britain’s Channel Four television broadcast an interview with Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, pledging repeats of incidents such as the Beslan school siege atrocity.

Now, Berezovsky is addressing Russians with talk of portable nuclear bombs in the hands of Chechen gunmen. Ministry officials say still more horror stories could be on the way, aiming to make Russians feel vulnerable and nervous.

Commenting on Berezovsky’s remarks, Sergei Mironov, chairman of the federation council upper house, said intelligence agencies should react to such allegations but noted that media reports could be misleading. Special services should rely on their own spy networks, he said.

Mironov said there was no reason Russian authorities should react to latest statements by Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, calling for peace talks. “Beware Greeks bearing gifts,” he said, rating Maskhadov’s appeals as a bid to deceive Russian vigilance.

It was unclear whether Maskhadov still had real influence in Chechnya, Mironov added, and there was no reason to respond to his calls.