So everybody is getting upset that Russia has detained an American in Russia on spying charges.
Russia’s domestic security agency said Monday that it arrested a U.S. citizen on espionage charges, and a prominent Kremlin critic is claiming the arrest happened because Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a hostage.
The Federal Security Service, or FSB, the top KGB successor agency, said Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow on Friday. The agency said in Monday’s statement that he was caught “during an espionage operation.”
Spying charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years in Russia.
The FSB, which conducts domestic intelligence and counterintelligence, was spun-off from the infamous KGB after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Former KGB agent, Putin, ran the FSB before ascending to the presidency.
Of all the agencies, the FSB looms largest in Russians’ minds because it hunts domestic threats. In October, a man entered a local branch of the FSB intelligence agency in Arkhangelsk and detonated an improvised explosive device, killing the man and injuring three FSB officers.
The arrest comes as Russia-U.S. ties have sunk to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Prominent Kremlin critic Bill Browder, the CEO and co-founder of Hermitage Capital, tweeted Monday: “Looks like Putin wants a hostage for leverage purposes. Generally countries kick out suspected foreign spies, not arrest them.”
Here’s his tweet.
Russia Detains U.S. Citizen in Moscow on Suspicion of Espionage. Looks like Putin wants a hostage for leverage purposes. Generally countries kick out suspected foreign spies, not arrest them https://t.co/IcagjRquW8
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) December 31, 2018
Well Bill, considering that the United States government arrested and tortured a cute Russian woman named Maria Butina because she got friendly with the National Rifle Association doesn’t give you much room to complain.
We also have Bob Mueller’s special counsel prosecuting random Russians because they posted memes on social media.
Is it a surprise that Russia wouldn’t retaliate when given the opportunity? And to act like we don’t have spies in Russia is insane. Especially when the Jewish global homo media complex is telling us each and every day that there are millions of ridiculous reasons why Russia is the biggest threat to America.
