So far, 28 nations have sent home more than 140 Russian diplomats and spies in a coordinated response to the Russian nerve agent assassination attempt in Salisbury, England. Symbolically, this unprecedented expulsion of Russian officials constitutes an important show of unity, but its practical impact in terms of hindering Russian subversion operations is limited. With the exception of the U.S. and Britain, which expelled sixty and twenty-three Russians respectively, most countries expelled four individuals or fewer — an insufficient number to deliver a meaningful hit to Russian spy networks.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration continues ravaging Ukraine, where more than 10,000 Ukrainians have died defending their country since 2014. It is still supporting or even orchestrating massive atrocities in Syria, and it is behind increasingly audacious cyber and disinformation attacks globally.
