Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that intercepted phone calls prove the US helped Chechen Islamic insurgents wage war against Russia . Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that intercepted phone calls prove the US helped Chechen Islamic insurgents wage war against Russia . In a documentary aired today on state-owned Rossiya-1 TV channel , he said phone records from the early 2000s show direct contact between North Caucasus separatists and US secret services . 'At one point our secret services simply detected direct contacts between militants from the North Caucasus and representatives of the United States secret services in Azerbaijan , ' Putin said . Putin said he raised the issue with then-US President George W. Bush , who promised to 'kick the ass ' of the intelligence officers in question . But he claimed a few days later the heads of Russia 's FSB received a letter from their American counterparts , which said they had the right to support opposition forces in Russia . 'Someone over there , especially the West 's intelligence services , obviously thought that if they act to destabilize their main geopolitical rival , which , as we now understand , in their eyes has always been Russia , it would be good for them . It turned out , it was n't , ' Putin said . He said he had warned the West about the possible dangers of supporting terrorists . Following a disastrous war in the 1990s , Russia fought Islamic insurgents in Chechnya and neighboring regions in the volatile North Caucasus . 'They were actually helping them , even with transportation , ' Putin said . The documentary 'The President ' showed Putin being interviewed at the Kremlin in the dimly-lit St. Alexander 's Hall . He even defended the annexation of Crimea as a response to the will of the people , saying it righted a historical injustice . The annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 provoked the worst crisis between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War . Putin said he had no regrets . 'It 's not because Crimea has a strategic importance in the Black Sea region . It 's because this has elements of historical justice . I believe we did the right thing and I do n't regret anything , ' he said . Putin said he raised the issue with then-US President George W. Bush , who promised to 'kick the ass ' of the intelligence officers in question . Putin also said sanctions imposed by the West after the annexation were aimed at halting Russia 's progress as a global power . Putin condemned punitive sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union . 'We have witnessed such attempts during Russia 's entire history , dating back to tsarist times . This attempt to deter Russia , this policy , has been known for a long time , for centuries . There is nothing new , ' he was reported as saying . Putin also expressed his fears that the West wishes Russia harm as he recalled how some world leaders told him they would not mind Russia 's possible disintegration . 'My counterparts , a lot of presidents and prime ministers told me later on that they had decided for themselves by then that Russia would cease to exist in its current form , ' he said . 'The only question was when it happens and what consequences would be . '
Putin said calls show contact between insurgents and US secret services . He claimed US helped Chechen extremists wage war against Russia . President said George Bush promised to 'kick the ass ' of officers involved . He made claims in documentary aired today on state-owned Russian TV .