*It'll be interesting to see what Anna's post-spy-scandal fame looks like and whether she, in fact, has any.
*Obviously the Kremlin would prefer to bury an incident of this kind, but it's been known to do quite the opposite. This extremely scary Lugovoi character got all politically feted and became a nationalist folk-hero. And he's still walkin' around happy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Lugovoi
Spy Suspects Leave U.S. in Swap With Russia
By PETER BAKER and BENJAMIN WEISER
Published: July 9, 2010
WASHINGTON — Ten convicted Russian sleeper agents were whisked out of the United States on a plane headed over the Atlantic Ocean late Thursday as part of a deal with Moscow to put a quick end to an episode that threatened to disrupt relations between the two countries.
Even as the Russian spies were being hastily deported, four Russian men deemed spies for the United States and its allies were being pardoned by the Kremlin (((hey that's a pretty good deal, four guys))) and prepared for release to the West in exchange. President Dmitri A. Medvedev signed an order to free them and they were expected to leave Russia promptly. (((Good luck, fellas. Hope you like cheeseburgers.)))
Neither government would say where their respective prisoners were heading initially, but one official familiar with the situation said the Russian spies were flying first to Vienna, where they would be handed over before traveling onto Moscow or any other final destination. The four Russians were to be released Friday morning Moscow time and also head first to Vienna as both sides made clear they hoped to put the incident behind them soon.
The swift conclusion to the cases just 11 days after the arrest of the Russian agents evoked memories of cold war-style bargaining but underscored the new-era relationship between Washington and Moscow. President Obama has made the “reset” of Russian-American relations a top foreign policy priority, and the quiet collaboration over the spy scandal indicates that the Kremlin likewise values the warmer ties.
“The agreement we reached today provides a successful resolution for the United States and its interests,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement....
(((More. "But can we keep her?" New York tabloid plaintively complains:)))
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/09/russian-spies-espionage-exchange
