BREAKING - 755 US diplomats must leave Russia, President Putin announces

[matt819]

42. Brilliant - and maybe just what Putin and 45 planned

Key assumption here is that included among those 755 diplomats are intelligence officers.

This could very well disrupt US intelligence operations in Russia, precisely what Putin would like, and the sanctions provide the cover for this action. Putin would have to conclude that the US has more to lose than Russia does with whoever the US expels.

Not only that, but the process of the disruption could enable Russian intelligence to identify Russian assets, as intelligence officers scramble for any last minute meetings or to set up/confirm means of reestablishing contact with other officers. Granted, these contact instructions are almost always set up from the outset of a relationship and confirmed during every encounter, so that may not be an issue.

To the extent that sources have alternative means of contact, these concerns may not apply. But there could be disruption of some sort, and thus Putin achieves his goal.

At the very least, the tit-for-tat moves continue the chaos and uncertainty that Putin set in place with the buffoon-in-chief.