Fewer Russian spies in U.S. but getting harder to track
The U.S. decision to expel 60 alleged spies is unlikely to cripple Russian spying in the United States because others have wormed and hacked their way into American companies, schools, and even the government, current and former U.S. officials said.
Moscow's spy services still use the cover of embassies and consulates, as Washington does. But they also recruit Russian emigres, establish front companies, dispatch short-term travelers to the United States, recruit Americans, and penetrate computer networks, the officials said.
"Russia used to have one way of doing things. Now, Putin is - let a thousand flowers bloom," a former senior U.S. official said in a recent interview, describing Moscow's move to a more multifaceted approach under President Vladimir Putin, a former Soviet spy himself....