US and UK Emphasis on Countering Russian Espionage Networks

On Wednesday, April 7, the White House announced that President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May discussed the necessity of "destroying" Russian espionage networks during a phone call. The White House statement noted that the leaders of the two countries agreed on the importance of dismantling Russia's spy network, countering covert activities, and preventing attacks using chemical weapons on US and UK soil. In the past week, the confrontation between European countries and the US with Russia has entered a new phase following the nerve gas attack on Sergey Skripal, a Russian double agent, and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southern Britain. The UK has accused Russia of being behind the "chemical attack" using a nerve agent developed during the Soviet era against Sergey Skripal and his daughter on British soil. To date, over 20 countries worldwide have expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK. Meanwhile, Russia has denied any involvement in the attack and has requested that the UK provide documents and evidence of Moscow's involvement. In this context, Alexander Lukashevich, Russia's representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, stated on Wednesday that the mass expulsion of 150 Russian diplomats from over 20 countries is a collective punishment of a nation whose guilt has not been proven. Sergey Ryabkov, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, also stated that Moscow is in no hurry to respond to the expulsion of its diplomats but will respond to this action. Reuters reports that the expulsion of these diplomats is the largest collective diplomatic action by Western countries against Russia since the end of the Cold War. Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in a shopping center in Salisbury, southern Britain, in mid-March. They were transferred to the hospital and are still in intensive care. Sergey Skripal, 66, was previously an officer in the Russian military security service. He was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to prison for transferring classified information to the UK and treason; he was granted asylum in the UK in 2010 during a spy swap with the US and has lived in the country for years.