June 30, 2010

Stealing American secrets is standard Putin procedure.

The scenes are out of John Le Carré—or, more precisely, Rocky and Bullwinkle. The alleged Russian spies include suburban couples, a “flame-haired” divorcée (New York Post), and a columnist for a Spanish-language newspaper. Messages were passed in identical bags dropped at train stations or with “invisible ink” technology presumably available to preteens.

The FBI on Monday arrested 11 members of a spy ring that used assumed identities to integrate themselves into American life. Their marching orders use English syntax that would make Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale proud: “You were sent to USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc.—all these serve as one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in U.S. and send Intels [intelligence reports]” to Moscow.

The FBI said this encrypted message was sent by the SVR—the successor to the KGB—to one defendant in February 2009. Charges include conspiracy for failing to register as foreign agents and money laundering, but not espionage.

It’s tempting to laugh off this episode as Russian keystone spies, but don’t forget that paramount leader Vladimir Putin is a former KGB colonel who made the revival of his country’s security services a priority. The timing was also embarrassing for President Obama, who only four days earlier hosted his “friend and partner” Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, for a “cheeseburger summit” in Washington as part of the Administration’s “reset” in relations with Russia.

Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704103904575336894211289122.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

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