Russian state-run media reveled yesterday in embarrassing the US over a botched attempt to recruit one of its intelligence agents, but both countries signaled they wanted to prevent the episode harming efforts to improve relations.
Moscow expelled a US diplomat on Tuesday, saying he had been caught red-handed with disguises, special equipment and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian agent for the CIA.
US Ambassador Michael McFaul spent about 30 minutes at the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday after being summoned to give an explanation and the ministry said it had issued a formal protest.
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said nothing about the incident, state news channels repeatedly showed footage of the US diplomat, Ryan Fogle, in an incongruous-looking blond wig being pinned to the ground by a Russian undercover agent in a “sting” operation.
The images, highly embarrassing for the US, seemed to be part of efforts to boost Putin’s ratings following his allegations that Washington has stoked protests against him, rather than an attempt to derail relations between the nations.
“It [the attempted recruitment] does not contribute to the future process of strengthening mutual trust between Russia and the United States, and putting our relations on a new level,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Itar-Tass news agency.
However, he avoided inflammatory language over the expulsion of Fogle, a third secretary at the US embassy who was detained late on Monday.
There is little sign that either country wants to go beyond a minimum response as Washington and Moscow try to improve strained relations and bring the warring sides in Syria together for an international peace conference.
In Washington, US Department of State spokesman Patrick Ventrell suggested the episode was unlikely to affect broader US-Russian relations or plans for the Syria conference.
“I’m not sure I would read too much into one incident one way or another,” Ventrell said.
The incident may have been directed more at a domestic Russian audience to rally support among conservative and traditional voters, following protests against Putin by mainly liberal and middle-class voters.
The former KGB spy has also used more blunt tactics against the opposition since the departure of long-term political adviser Vladislav Surkov at the end of 2011 and his replacement by Vyacheslav Volodin, a less sophisticated strategist.
“In the Russian elite, there are influential groups who oppose America and waste no opportunity to spite the United States,” political analyst Pavel Salin said.
State media moved into action quickly after the federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, announced Fogle’s detention.
Television channels soon started showing footage of Fogle’s detention and photographs appeared on the Web showing the diplomat in the blond wig, with props reminiscent of a schoolboy’s spy kit.
A photograph published by the Russia Today channel on its Web site showed two wigs, apparently found on him, as well as three pairs of glasses, a flashlight, a mobile phone and a compass.
Also displayed was a wad of 500 euro (US$650) notes, and a letter printed in Russian and addressed to a “Dear friend” offering US$100,000 if the target cooperated — with the promise of more to come for long-term cooperation.
US-Russian relations had thawed markedly under US President Barack Obama’s first-term “reset” of ties, although they have chilled again since Putin returned to the presidency a year ago.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source