Posted on 06/29/2010 4:21:44 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The only thing Moscow loves more than a good, cold war style spy scandal is a good, cold war style conspiracy theory.
On Tuesday, following the revelation that the US had detained 10 suspected spies working under deep cover, the question being asked in the shadow of the Kremlin was “why now?”
The timing for the arrests could not have been worse for US-Russia relations, following a state visit by President Dmitry Medvedev to the US last week, and a chorus of optimistic announcements about the US Russian “reset” aimed at bettering ties.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, echoed the prevailing consensus when he said during a press conference on Tuesday with Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman that the timing of the arrests “was very artfully chosen”, implying that it was designed to do maximum damage to bilateral relations.
Vladimir Kolesnikov, deputy chairman of the security committee in the Russian state Duma, or lower house of parliament, said that the scandal was “provocation” inspired by “structures that live with the old baggage”, in other words, hard liners. The scandal, he said was “a blow aimed at [US President Barack] Obama.”
“I have no doubts that the our reaction will be adequate,” he said. “It is no secret that their special services continue to work here,” adding that Russia could potentially prosecute American “illegals” working in Russia.
Nikolai Kovalev, the ex-director of the Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, told Interfax news agency “someone is trying to put a virus into the reset programme”.
Experienced intelligence officers, however, said there were some highly irregular aspects of the case that makes them doubt that the group of detainees really were working for a Russian intelligence agency. Mr Kovalev said: “Like any professional, it makes me laugh out loud to read that these 10 or 11 people were somehow working together. Any ‘illegal’ only contacts one person. That is the golden law of any espionage organisation.”
Mikhail Liubimov, a former KGB officer who worked in the UK and Denmark during the cold war, said that it was sloppy tradecraft for agents to launder money, as seems to have been the case in this operation with agents travelling abroad to receive payment. “So far our intelligence service hasn’t gotten involved in fraud operations,” he said.
Mr Kovelav said the overall shoddiness of the operation indicated it had nothing to do with the Russian government. “Illegals who launder money, live on forged documents and get money from glass jars buried in the earth. These cannot be employees of a Russian intelligence service. That is totally ridiculous. It’s like a cheap Agatha Christie detective novel.”
But more importantly, said Mr Liubomov, it was unclear what the goal of such an operation was. The US Department of Justice has reportedly not sought spying charges against any of the suspected agents, prosecuting them instead as unregistered agents of a foreign government. That does not reflect well on the operation as a whole – despite the time and resources involved.
“The main thing that isn’t clear to me is what exactly they were doing,” said Mr Liubimov.
Why now? Let’s see.... Boston, NYC, DC. Could it be that this network lost it’s cover and got burned. Could it be that with KGB asset TED KENNEDY gone, they either lost their “sponsor,” or overplayed their hand trying to compensate for his loss?
Oh, I hope so. Nothing would make me happier than to see that p.o.s. poser frog marched out of the white house in chains. Of course 3/4 of Congress should have the same fate in a just society.
they did’nt “pay to play” ...Medevev did’nt take the hint? when he was ushered to Rahm’s office before leaving the White House?
The Rooskis are experts in this game, and the U.S. has been foolish in trusting them over the years since the Cold War ended.
The Rooskis are experts in this game, and the U.S. has been foolish in trusting them over the years since the Cold War ended.
They missed one.
Last observed place of occupation is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington DC.
http://www.inatoday.com/moscowmuscle6282010.htm
they are wasting their time and money because we are giving all on a silver platter.
Don't fear, Russia, the American electorate is gonna push a great, big reset button this fall and an even bigger one two years hence.
Yes. It’s America’s fault the Russians spied on us. Comrade please!
Why? Military? Finance? Doesn’t make sense.
Should they be treated any different than the terrorists picked up on the battlefield??
“Mr Kovelav said the overall shoddiness of the operation indicated it had nothing to do with the Russian government.”
Last I looked that was one of the outstanding characteristics of any Sov...er, Russian operation.....
I guess stripping and medicaid scams aren’t paying like they
used to!
C’mon!
This is typical Obama/syncophantic media theatre! Pretend to be bad cop for GS when the regime is filthy with GS fols, pretend to be bad cop with BP when Obama is the biggest beneficiary, say bad cop things like we need to tighten our belts then spend like a drunken sailor personally and publically.
Obama is all base, course smoke and mirrors for the “small people” with the loyal assistance of the editors and reporters that can not tell the difference between a loader and a bulldozer.
I would bet that the “spies” were actually on the USA team rubbing Obama’s buddies wrong in old/new Russia.
Let me see, a foreign agent assumed the identity by coming up with a birth certificate...humm...sounds like something else I heard about someone else.....Another agent group was working in Cambridge, Ma...humm...sounds like something similiar I heard about someone else. These agents were to listen for secrets, perhaps with big ears...humm...reminds me of someone else.
One of the people accused of involvement in the espionage ring made no secret of his ties to Russia, openly taking part in Russian social media in order to keep up with friends from high school and university. The suspect, Mikhail Semenko, a Russian immigrant, maintained a page on Odnoklassniki, one of the most popular Russian Web sites, where he joined alumni groups from his high school and university in Russia’s Far East. He lived in Blagoveshchensk, 3,600 miles from Moscow, and attended Amur State University, earning a degree in international relations. - nytimes.com
Other countries do quite well having hundreds of Congressmen representing their interests, wants and desires against the interests of America and the American people.
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