A general view shows the headquarters of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formerly known as the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), in Moscow, Russia October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
The Guardian: Bungling agents leave Putin exposed in the global spotlight
Botched missions in Salisbury and The Hague may prompt Russian leader to reassess his targeting of the west
Spies do not always want to advertise their victories, preferring John Le Carré’s advice “better to be silent, be blank”. But in the case of the battle between MI6 and the GRU, a decision has been made in Whitehall to highlight and isolate the Russian military intelligence arm, aiming to turn it from a source of Vladimir Putin’s power to an impediment.
In part, the double exposure of the GRU – first wandering around Salisbury in search of the doorknob of Sergei Skripal’s home, and then caught in a carpark in the The Hague hacking into the chemical weapons watchdog – has simply been made possible by Russian incompetence.
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Update #1: Alleged operations by Russia’s GRU in recent years (AP)
Update #2: What is Russia's GRU military intelligence agency? (Reuters)
WNU Editor: Saying that they have become sloppy is an understatement .... String of own goals by Russian spies exposes a strange sloppiness (The Guardian).
