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Government gets ready to expel 34 Russian spies - including diplomat who writes ...

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    Government gets ready to expel 34 Russian spies - including diplomat who writes ...

    Government gets ready to expel 34 Russian spies - including diplomat who writes restaurants reviews

    by JASON LEWIS - More by this author » Last updated at 01:02am on 20th January 2008

    The Government is preparing to expel dozens of Russian spies operating in Britain as the diplomatic tensions with President Putin escalate.

    MI5 has helped draw up a list of suspected agents, including at least 34 diplomats in the Russian embassy, who could be targeted in a mass expulsion.

    The Mail on Sunday has learned the list includes two of the most senior embassy officials, political section chief Alexander Sternik and senior counsellor Andrey Pritsepov, aide to the Russian ambassador and known as a 'gastronaut' for his reviews of London's finest restaurants. (AtW's comment: MI5 should urgently check if any of their reviews include words polonium)

    The purge of alleged members of Russia's foreign intelligence services, the SVR, and military intelligence agency, the GRU, is being planned in response to the intimidation of British diplomats and British Council staff in Russia, as well as President Putin's continued refusal to extradite the prime suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

    But Whitehall officials and Government Ministers are said to be undecided whether a repeat of the mass expulsions of 1971, when Edward Heath's Government ejected 105 spies, would be wise.

    One source said: "If known Russian agents are removed they would only be replaced by new unidentified people and MI5 would have to start operations against them from scratch."

    Inside the imposing Russian embassy in London's most exclusive street, Kensington Palace Gardens, officers of the SVR, formerly part of the feared KGB, work to steal Britain's state secrets and monitor Russia's 'enemies' in the UK, such as dissident oligarch Boris Berezovsky and Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev.

    Mr Pritsepov, the "gastronaut" who is understood to be on the expulsion list, is a well-known figure on the London diplomatic social circuit - and in the capital's best restaurants.

    One of his favourites is said to be Mitsukoshi in Regent Street, and he recently wrote on the Toptable website that the sushi there was "superb".

    He gave the restaurant ten out of ten for food and ambience, eight for service and value, but only four for its toilets. (AtW's comment: 4 points because there is no exit in toilets to escape after assassination )

    Toptable says users only qualify for 'gastronaut' status if they regularly book restaurants through the website.

    It says: "Gastronauts regularly embark on culinary pilgrimages to the world's best restaurants. They are all knowing, all-tasting adventurers in food."

    Last year, Mr Pritsepov and his wife and two teenage children were photographed at a concert by Chilean guitarist Luis Orlandini in London.

    Political section head Mr Sternik is an Islamic terrorism expert.

    However, MI5 and MI6 have largely stopped sharing anti-terrorist information with their Russian counterparts amid the row between President Putin and the British Government. Last year Mr Sternik hinted at disagreements over the definition of terrorism, with Russia pressing for Chechen rebels to be put on international lists of suspects.

    Last night Mr Sternik told The Mail on Sunday: "I have to dismiss as totally preposterous the notion of my or Mr Pritsepov's affiliation to SVR, although belonging to this organisation is considered to be an honour for any Russian patriot.

    "To my knowledge, our careers have been developed within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the past 20 years and MI5 is not doing its job professionally if it doesn't know this." (AtW's comment: the guy plays an idiot, which he probably is anyway - Russian MoFA has always been fertile ground for operatives, frankly it would be suprising if _any_ of them are not affiliated with SVR/GRU)

    Asked why his name was being mentioned, he said: "Not a clue."

    He also said that allegations of 34 spies at the embassy were wide of the mark.

    He added: "The total diplomatic staff of this embassy hardly exceeds 35." (AtW's comment: probably 3 diplomats there, the rest are spies. )

    Any expulsion would mark a further deterioration of Anglo-Russian relations.

    Last week British Council employee Stephen Kinnock, son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, was arrested on a spurious drink-driving charge, and British Council staff were interrogated by Russian secret police.

    Under the unwritten rules of the espionage 'game', Britain never names Russian intelligence officers as they know their own spies would be exposed.

    This applied last year, when four Russian diplomats were expelled in response to Moscow's refusal to extradite the prime suspect in Alexander Litvinenko's murder.

    Any fresh expulsions would come after new MI5 chief Jonathan Evans used his first public speech to express "disappointment" over Russia's continued "high levels of covert activity" in Britain.

    ---

    Good response if true. Make it 100+ Mr Brown and I will vote Labour next year.

    #2
    Правда? Это очень хорошо
    Cats are evil.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by swamp View Post
      Правда? Это очень хорошо
      35th!!!!

      Comment


        #4
        Do you think they've managed to find this place yet?
        http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/

        Comment


          #5
          ... and Russia has just declared its right to use pre-emptive nuclear strikes
          How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Troll View Post
            ... and Russia has just declared its right to use pre-emptive nuclear strikes
            This means R&D on counter-missile technologies should increase sharply.

            Comment


              #7
              Any connection with... British Council chief leaves Saint Petersburg

              On Saturday, Stephen Kinnock, the head of the British Council's Saint Petersburg office left the city following the council's decision to suspend work in its Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg offices, saying they were harassed by Russian authorities.

              Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said Moscow was deploying Cold War-style tactics. He branded its actions a "stain on Russia's reputation and standing" and voiced London's "anger and dismay."

              http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...BqyppChYU_7jUA

              Neil Kinnocks son...Hmmm!!!

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by AtW View Post
                (AtW's comment: 4 points because there is no exit in toilets to escape after assassination )
                If you've you've just been assasinated, how the hell are you going to get out only in a wooden box methinks
                Brexit is having a wee in the middle of the room at a house party because nobody is talking to you, and then complaining about the smell.

                Comment

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