Ukrainian counterintelligence services have stopped monitoring Russian Security Service (FSB) officials stationed in Ukraine, a Ukrainian weekly paper said on Saturday.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine have dramatically improved since President Viktor Yanukovych was elected in February on a platform to roll back the pro-Western policies of his predecessor, Viktor Yushchenko, and heal damaged ties with Moscow.

"As a gesture of goodwill and to demonstrate new policies, the counterintelligence department ended all work on Russian security services in Ukraine," Zerkalo Nedeli said.

The Ukrainian security services have so far not made an official comment on this report.

A cooperation agreement was signed by the heads of the Ukrainian and Russian Security Services on May 19. The agreement includes a decision to return Russian security service officials to Crimea, where Russia has a naval base. The Russian security services were ordered to leave the territory at the end of 2009.

KIEV, May 29 (RIA Novosti)