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

[kpete]

Source: AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that 755 U.S. diplomats must leave his country, after Moscow announced it would expel American staff in retaliation for tough new sanctions from Washington.

The Russian foreign ministry had earlier demanded the U.S. cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September to 455 people - the same number Moscow has in the U.S.

"More than a thousand people were working and are still working" at the U.S. embassy and consulates," Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television. "755 people must stop their activities in Russia."

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2017/Jul-30/414460-755-us-diplomats-must-leave-russia-putin.ashx

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Yep, inevitable. Worst human alive in power here to handle this.

Holy fuck

[FakeNoose]

27. The Brits and Israelis are way better at this anyway

They have the deep undercover spies already in place, while our guys go around bumping into everything like bulls in a china shop. Let our guys come home and the Brits and other Europeans continue spying on Putin. Too bad Trump pissed them off though, now they don't want to share new stuff with him.

They'll wait till a real POTUS comes in to share any more info.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. Could see this one coming... 2020 can't get here soon enough!

[DURHAM D]

2. With fewer workers that means it will take longer

for the Russians do get their travel visas. Does that mean a smaller Russian spy network in the US?

[gordianot]

4. I figure the spy network they have now is golden.

Honey pots for the pot belly honey.

[NCjack]

15. with #45 keeping them informed, the Russians will be just fine with their network. nt

[bettyellen]

17. I know that record numbers of visas for "diplomats" have been approved this year after we kicked

Some out.

[sfwriter]

46. Nooope - They have slipped 150 operatives into the country under Trump

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/7/1678545/-CNN-Trump-s-State-Dept-Grants-U-S-Visas-to-150-Russian-Spies

Looks like America is wide open.

[kimbutgar]

3. Let's expel all the Russian spies here also.

[msongs]

9. who should go first, Mr and Mrs Trump?

[jrthin]

44. Then Jared and Ivanka. n/t

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

54. My thought exactly... start with those two traitors!

[paleotn]

50. Yes

[dalton99a]

14. Starting with the Oval Office

[SammyWinstonJack]

34. +1000000

[Tarheel_Dem]

60. Zing!

[Leghorn21]

5. No worries - LOSER 45 is on it:

[winetourdriver01]

7. Lordy

Fat Ugly and Stupid is no way to go through life...

[SammyWinstonJack]

35. It works for him.

[mitch96]

53. Fat Ugly and Stupid is no way to go through life...

I don't condone body shaming or picking on someone for being intellectually challenged but in this case I'll make an exception!!
m

[lib-ruhl]

58. If asked about his military expertise .......

he can at least say he's been in bunker......

[NCjack]

16. How does his heart take the load of that belly and ass? nt

[unblock]

18. there's no evidence he has a heart.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

48. It keeps him from falling out of his golf cart

Low center of gravity.

[NCjack]

49. He should take up billiards. Oh, no, that wont work. He is belly would stop

him from getting a long reach to make a good stroke on the cue ball. But, Minnesota Fats was great. Wait -- didn't MF have large hands?

[bdamomma]

52. sooner

or later don the con's BS will fly right back into his face. Hopefully sooner.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. God, his swing sucks.

[Still In Wisconsin]

26. That was my first thought.

I was a caddy in my youth... I remember fat rich guys like Trump who fancied themselves golfers.

"Nice shot, sir!"...snicker snicker

[kairos12]

30. The angle of club to ball defies physics.

[FakeNoose]

32. He's hitting in a sand trap

...so the ball doesn't always go where it's supposed to, even when you know what you're doing.
Don't worry though, Cheeto lies on his scorecard, so I'm sure he won anyway.

[PSPS]

6. No big deal. It's routine tit for tat in these things. It has always gone like this ever since WWII.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. I don't think this is routine. I've never heard of anything like this many. Usually more like 35. nt

[Iliyah]

8. Not getting your monies worth, er, putin . . .

upset about them sanctions? Whose ya gonna buy next? You say . . . pence?

[BumRushDaShow]

10. NYT article

Putin, Responding to Sanctions, Expels 755 U.S. Diplomats

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR JULY 30, 2017

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin announced on Sunday that 755 American diplomats would be expelled from Russia by Sept. 1 in response to the new law passed in Congress last week expanding sanctions against Russia.

Although the expulsions had been announced on Friday, the president’s statement was the first to confirm the large number involved.

Speaking in a television interview on the Rossiya 1 network, Mr. Putin said that Russia’s patience in waiting for improved relations with the United States had worn out.

“We waited for quite some time that maybe something will change for the better, had such hope that the situation will somehow change, but, judging by everything, if it changes, it will not be soon,” Mr. Putin said in the interview, according to Interfax news agency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/world/europe/russia-sanctions-us-diplomats-expelled.html

[turbinetree]

11. I wonder what Boris Epshteyn, of the new Pravada 105.5 FM Washington DC, Sinclair Broadcasting

has to say about this, fascism is now coming.

http://dcist.com/2017/06/russian-funded_news_station_replace.php

[jberryhill]

13. That will eliminate obstacles to direct dealings among the wrong people

[NRaleighLiberal]

20. what a total kabuki theater being played out...

[kairos12]

21. If we were to retaliate we would have to expel all of the Republican traitors from Congress.

[Iliyah]

22. LOL

congressman Rohrabacher from Cali is one for sure.

[Leghorn21]

23. Noooooooo shit, k. And a whole lot of campaign staffers we don't see much of anymore...

Kin ya hear me, Flynn? Are you staying strong?
Kin ya hear me, Manafort?
Paging Carter frickin Page!
Candygram for Rudi Ghouliani!
etc etc ETC

[Dopers_Greed]

24. And Repugs are still saying...

...the our problems with Russia are a "nothing burger"?

[leftofcool]

25. We'll take our 755 diplomats and give him Trump and Co in exchange.

[kairos12]

29. We would still have to throw in a case of

Red Bull.

[FreepFryer]

28. The 'always double down' strategy Trump and Putin share has only one outcome...

...both men will leave their respective offices in shame.

[oasis]

31. Putin's giving them Kaspersky anti virus software PCs on the way out

so there's no hard feelings.

[C Moon]

33. I'm thinking this is all B.S., to make Trump and the other traitors look innocent.

[KG]

36. boy, we really showed them!

[dalton99a]

38. "Donald, we have to pretend we don't like each other, ok?"

[ancianita]

39. In case they MEAN it: "Stop their activities"?? Or else WHAT?? We get no more money to launder??

We freeze their assets back here in the USA?

We let Trump and his colluders off the hook?

Cast out every last Russian diplomat or "former" KGB-turned-business "liaison"?

We never had an extradition treaty with Russia because it never considered itself our ally anyway.

The Kremlin can isolate Russia all it wants.

Fuck them. We're done eating Kremlin shit sandwiches.

Let them get on with their so-called economy without the West.

They never helped the US get the political and economic power and wealth it has now. Russia never was the US's equal in GDP or global status. So fuck Putin and the Kremlin with their old hammer and sickle.

The US and The West have never had to capitulate to Kremlin politics or economics. They never will.

[Leghorn21]

43. Oh hell to the right on YEAH, ancianita!! TELL it!!

[BigmanPigman]

40. Richard Engel (who takes Rachel's spot on Fri.) was covering Moscow this last episode.

It was interesting and realistic. Very well done in trying to explain all the various elements and characters in this situation. It seemed that Putin isn't really angry at the Donald for putting sanctions on him (not right now anyway).

[Leghorn21]

41. Michael McFaul, ex-ambassador to Russia, is a bit skeptical of the number here:

Link to tweet

[lanlady]

56. I thought the number was a typo when I saw it

I would put the number of US diplomatic, security, and intelligence personnel in Russia at no more than 500 but probably closer to 400. I'm perplexed!

[Leghorn21]

57. Well now, you don't think Vlad was, you know, LYING about that number?? ....or maybe he was,

hence, causing your perplexity!?

[Phoenix61]

61. Maybe he's counting family members? nt

[unc70]

62. Apparently includes Russian employees

I believe the BBC described the 755 as including Russian employees working in the various locations. I am still confused, but that might explain the seemingly large number of people.

[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.

[oberliner]

45. There are not 755 US diplomats in Russia

Not even close.

[L. Coyote]

47. They are the lucky ones.

[Turbineguy]

51. But....

they'll miss winter!

[Not Ruth]

59. Who picks the 755, us or them?

Most are spies, correct?