.Russia media slams 'unconvincing' spy scandal
Russian media on Wednesday disparaged US claims of a Russian spy ring, saying the scandal was an unconvincing sham aimed at derailing the reset in relations between Moscow and Washington.
"The highest-profile Russia spy scandal in the United States looks like the most unconvincing and most unnecessary," said the leading broadsheet daily Kommersant.
Several newspapers wrote that the scandal was directed against US President Barack Obama and his policy of resetting ties with Moscow after years of frigid relations.
"So stupid!" gushed Tvoi Den, one of Russia's most popular tabloid newspapers. "US special services let their president down conducting the silliest operation to capture sham Russian spies."
Mass-circulation newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets -- known for its close ties to the Kremlin -- said that "it would be more logical to assume that the main target in this story is Obama who has a lot of ill-wishers in his own country."
"There's more politics than intelligence in this scandal," it added.
The US authorities announced late Monday they had broken a spy ring of 11 "deep-cover" suspects, accused of infiltrating US policymakers on behalf of the Kremlin and seeking details of US nuclear weapons and foreign policy.
"FBI interfered in the reset," declared newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. "The spy scandal brings into question the rapprochement between Moscow and Washington."
But Kommersant said the reaction from the Kremlin and the White House meant that both Russia and the United States wanted to limit the fallout so as not to hurt rapidly improving bilateral relations.
Quoting an unidentified high-ranking source in diplomatic circles, Kommersant said all the country's "eloquent speakers" had been ordered to refrain from making public comments so as not to fan the flames of the spy scandal.
Many of the commentators, who usually speak on behalf of the Kremlin, refused to comment on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Mikhail Margelov -- the usually highly loquacious chairman of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's upper house of parliament -- told AFP he was unavailable.
"He is neither the intelligence nor the foreign ministry, he will not comment on anything," the spokeswoman said.
The United States took pains to avoid rebuking Russia over the spy row and said the uproar would not damage Obama's vaunted "reset" of ties with the Kremlin.
The White House said Obama knew the FBI was closing in on the 11 alleged spies when he met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for a warm White House summit and chummy burger bar trip last week, though did not mention it.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was repeatedly goaded in his daily briefing to condemn Russia's action, but styled the operation as solely a "law enforcement" matter.
Asked for Obama's response to the intriguing tale of deep cover spies living open American lives, Gibbs again attempting to keep the row out of the diplomatic realm, saying: "he did not have a personal reaction that I know of."
There was none of the outrage or frostiness witnessed during the tense days of the Cold War when both nations ran extensive underground networks and regularly expelled presumed agents.
Gibbs said Obama had known about the unfolding operation against the alleged ring of sleeper spies, in four northeastern states, before he met Medvedev here last week and at G8 and G20 meetings in Canada.
But he said Obama had not raised the issue with the Russian leader.
The "reset" of relations has seen Russia back new nuclear sanctions against Iran and the signing of a nuclear arms reduction treaty.
Breitbart
Which is a bigger scandal, the spies, or the Russians so worried about, and protecting O from all us evil Americans.
"The highest-profile Russia spy scandal in the United States looks like the most unconvincing and most unnecessary," said the leading broadsheet daily Kommersant.
Several newspapers wrote that the scandal was directed against US President Barack Obama and his policy of resetting ties with Moscow after years of frigid relations.
"So stupid!" gushed Tvoi Den, one of Russia's most popular tabloid newspapers. "US special services let their president down conducting the silliest operation to capture sham Russian spies."
Mass-circulation newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets -- known for its close ties to the Kremlin -- said that "it would be more logical to assume that the main target in this story is Obama who has a lot of ill-wishers in his own country."
"There's more politics than intelligence in this scandal," it added.
The US authorities announced late Monday they had broken a spy ring of 11 "deep-cover" suspects, accused of infiltrating US policymakers on behalf of the Kremlin and seeking details of US nuclear weapons and foreign policy.
"FBI interfered in the reset," declared newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. "The spy scandal brings into question the rapprochement between Moscow and Washington."
But Kommersant said the reaction from the Kremlin and the White House meant that both Russia and the United States wanted to limit the fallout so as not to hurt rapidly improving bilateral relations.
Quoting an unidentified high-ranking source in diplomatic circles, Kommersant said all the country's "eloquent speakers" had been ordered to refrain from making public comments so as not to fan the flames of the spy scandal.
Many of the commentators, who usually speak on behalf of the Kremlin, refused to comment on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Mikhail Margelov -- the usually highly loquacious chairman of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's upper house of parliament -- told AFP he was unavailable.
"He is neither the intelligence nor the foreign ministry, he will not comment on anything," the spokeswoman said.
The United States took pains to avoid rebuking Russia over the spy row and said the uproar would not damage Obama's vaunted "reset" of ties with the Kremlin.
The White House said Obama knew the FBI was closing in on the 11 alleged spies when he met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for a warm White House summit and chummy burger bar trip last week, though did not mention it.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was repeatedly goaded in his daily briefing to condemn Russia's action, but styled the operation as solely a "law enforcement" matter.
Asked for Obama's response to the intriguing tale of deep cover spies living open American lives, Gibbs again attempting to keep the row out of the diplomatic realm, saying: "he did not have a personal reaction that I know of."
There was none of the outrage or frostiness witnessed during the tense days of the Cold War when both nations ran extensive underground networks and regularly expelled presumed agents.
Gibbs said Obama had known about the unfolding operation against the alleged ring of sleeper spies, in four northeastern states, before he met Medvedev here last week and at G8 and G20 meetings in Canada.
But he said Obama had not raised the issue with the Russian leader.
The "reset" of relations has seen Russia back new nuclear sanctions against Iran and the signing of a nuclear arms reduction treaty.
Breitbart
Which is a bigger scandal, the spies, or the Russians so worried about, and protecting O from all us evil Americans.
posted by madtom at 8:18 PM
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