“Of course, some of the pootin apologists still claim this was a feint.”
The feint was necessary, so that Russia could then make the “goodwill gesture” of withdrawing…
The British government is placing Russia on the top tier of a security programme aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence, the Minister of State Security has said. Dan Jarvis told lawmakers that any person or company “carrying out activity as part of any arrangement” with Russian authorities, including government agencies, armed forces, intelligence services and the parliament, will need to register with the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme from 1 July.
Anyone who doesn't sign up faces five years in prison.
Russian political parties that are controlled by the Russian government will also need to register before they can carry out activity in the UK directly, Jarvis said.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/foreign-influence-registration-scheme-implementation