Moscow, Feb 25 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that law enforcement forces have prevented 72 terrorist crimes in the country in 2020, up from 57 a year earlier.

Despite the fact that many of the attempts were thwarted at an early stage, terrorism remains a serious threat with terrorists using more diverse tactics, Putin said at a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Board.

It is necessary to better protect places of mass gathering, critical facilities and social institutions, and more effectively coordinate the work of the FSB and other security agencies, he said.

Putin ordered law enforcers to pay special attention to detecting the contacts between terrorist groups and foreign special services, the Xinhua news agency reported.

He praised the work of counterintelligence bodies, which have thwarted the activities of 72 employees and 423 agents of foreign special services last year.

The President also emphasised the importance of protecting military information and decreasing the chances of its leakage.