{"id":5210,"date":"2018-03-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/kremlin-watch-briefing-russian-diplomats-must-travel-back-to-moscow\/"},"modified":"2021-12-16T12:21:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T10:21:31","slug":"kremlin-watch-briefing-russian-diplomats-must-travel-back-to-moscow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/kremlin-watch-briefing-russian-diplomats-must-travel-back-to-moscow\/","title":{"rendered":"Kremlin Watch Briefing: Russian diplomats must travel back to Moscow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Weekly monitor of pro-Kremlin disinformation effort in Europe. We follow best European analysts, best counter-measures and trends.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Topics of the Week<\/h2>\n

More than 70 security policy experts from 21 countries have signed our\u00a0<\/em>Open Call urging NATO allies and the EU to join our British friends and expel contingents of Russian intelligence officers<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0from their soil.<\/em><\/p>\n

The complete Open Call with its list of signatories is available here:\u00a0www.europeanvalues.net\/allies\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

17 EU member states<\/a>\u00a0have decided to expel Russian diplomats<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0in response to the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK. The US has also announced the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle.<\/em><\/p>\n

The new $1.3 trillion US government spending bill, signed last week by President Trump to avert a government shutdown, includes\u00a0<\/em>multiple strict provisions to punish Russia, including restrictions that disallow many federal agencies from engaging financially<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>or otherwise with the Kremlin<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and its supporters.<\/em><\/p>\n

The EU has been underestimating\u00a0<\/em>the<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Kremlin\u2019s subversive influence in Western Balkans<\/em><\/strong>. A new study from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung presents recommendations for changing that.<\/em><\/p>\n

Good Old Soviet Joke<\/h2>\n

\u2013 Hello, is this the anonymous KGB service?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Yes, Vyacheslav.<\/p>\n

Policy & Research News<\/h2>\n

The West stands behind the UK<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Skripal case is far from being closed \u2013 and in the meantime, the international diplomatic fallout is growing. After the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats, Russia retaliated by expelling the same number British diplomats,\u00a0shutting down<\/a>\u00a0all activities of the British Council, and closing a consulate in St Petersburg. In accordance with Prime Minister Theresa May\u2019s call for an EU-level response to show solidarity and send a message to Putin, the EU recalled its ambassador to Russia for consultation. However, the possibility of further sanctions was not even mentioned by EU leaders, indicating an unwillingness at the EU level to take a strong stance against the Kremlin. At the very least, it is reassuring that even though the UK is quitting the EU, a strong partnership based on transatlantic security and the defence of Western norms post-Brexit remains an\u00a0achievable goal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of meaningful action at the EU level,\u00a017 EU member governments<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 as well as the United States and Ukraine \u2013 have decided to expel numbers of Russian diplomats from their respective embassies. This is an important first step to limit the numbers of Russian diplomatic staff \u2013 many of whom work in undeclared intelligence capacities \u2013 which often significantly exceed standard regulations.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister May stated that she did not congratulate Putin on his election victory. Germany, meanwhile, was among the first who\u00a0did<\/a>. In her message of congratulations, Angela Merkel urged Vladimir Putin to\u00a0cooperate<\/a>: \u201cIt is more important than ever that we pursue dialogue and promote the relations between our countries and peoples. […] On this basis, we should endeavor to address bilateral and international challenges constructively and find sustainable solutions.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Then there have been more hesitant voices, such as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who said: \u201cWe have to express our solidarity to the UK, to the British people, but at the same time we need to investigate<\/em>\u201d. (Greece has several times prevented action against Russian meddling activities and lobbied to\u00a0undercut<\/a>\u00a0the EU sanctions regime.)<\/p>\n

Bot distraction during the Skripal case<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0British officials<\/a>, even before Prime Minister Theresa May attributed the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter to the Russian Federation, an extensive disinformation campaign sowing doubts about the murder had begun to spread on Twitter. The number of automated bots participating in the campaign is estimated around 2,800, potentially reaching up to 7.5 million users on the network. According to the report, more than 25% of the suspect posts were created by only six accounts.<\/p>\n

Putin\u2019s best friend in Germany should be sanctioned<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has asked the EU to\u00a0sanction Gerhard Schr\u00f6der<\/a>\u00a0on grounds that \u201cSchr\u00f6der is the most important lobbyist for Putin worldwide<\/em>\u201d and is \u201cPutin\u2019s key oligarch<\/em>\u201d. He further stated:\u00a0\u201cIt is important that there are sanctions against those who promote Putin\u2019s projects abroad\u201d.\u00a0<\/em>Within the EU, the German ex-chancellor was among the loudest advocates for trusting Moscow after the annexation of Crimea and warned the EU and US against implementing sanctions. Schr\u00f6der has extensive and intimate ties to the Kremlin; among other things, he was elected chairman of the supervisory board of Russia\u2019s state-owned oil giant Rosneft last year. Schr\u00f6der also authorized the since-controversial\u00a0Nord Stream pipeline project<\/a>before leaving office in 2005 and then took chairmanship of the company \u2013 controlled by Russia\u2019s Gazprom \u2013 just a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

US Developments<\/h2>\n

US expels 60 Russian diplomats and shuts down another Russian consulate<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a show of solidarity with Britain, the US has\u00a0moved<\/a>\u00a0to expel 60 Russian diplomats identified as undercover intelligence officers, as well as to close the Russian consulate in Seattle. A statement from the White House says that these actions will\u00a0\u201cmake the United States safer by reducing Russia\u2019s ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America\u2019s national security.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The closure of the consulate leaves only three more across the country \u2013 in Houston, New York, and Washington DC. The Seattle consulate was selected due to its close proximity to Boeing as well as a major US submarine base.\u00a0Naval Base Kitsap<\/a>, which has eight nuclear armed submarines and is the only Trident submarine base on the West Coast, is one of several military bases in Western Washington.<\/p>\n

Congress slipped new Russia sanctions into the government spending bill<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill to keep the federal government open. Hidden within the 2,232 page\u00a0document<\/a>\u00a0are several strict provisions seeking to penalize Russia, following growing congressional\u00a0frustration<\/a>\u00a0that the administration is\u00a0too soft<\/a>\u00a0on the Kremlin. Congressman Eliot Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee,\u00a0said<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cThe President continues to resist the clear intent of Congress that we want Putin to face consequences for his aggressive and illegal activities. It\u2019s time that the White House listens to Congress and uses the tools we\u2019ve provided.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The new spending bill includes a\u00a0targets Russia<\/a>\u00a0in numerous areas.\u00a0CNN<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n