The Trump administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats and closed the Russian consulate in Seattle on Monday in an attempt to send a message to leaders in Moscow about the “unacceptably high” number of its spies placed in the U.S.
The move was also in response to Russia’s alleged role in the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter, and experts claim the massive export of Russian operatives could have a positive impact when it comes to limiting tech-industry and military espionage, as it strips Russia of its diplomatic presence on America’s West Coast.
However, the closing of the Washington State consulate has many wondering why, out of all the locations throughout the U.S., Seattle was chosen.
On the domestic front, Seattle itself is an important city for intelligence collection efforts by Moscow and has a much quieter profile than those in city’s such as San Francisco and New York, two anonymous former U.S. intelligence officials told Politico.
And now that both the San Francisco and Seattle Russian consulates have been closed, Russia is lacking in a diplomatic facility anywhere west of Houston for the first time since 1971.
The result leaves Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover at a loss since most will find it harder to operate in such easy proximity to America’s tech-capitals.
Even shortly after the move, individuals suspected to be Russian spies have already been caught in their attempt to infiltrate local tech companies in Seattle — something former CIA officer John Sipher says is no surprise. – READ MORE
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