The number of Russian spies working in the United States is “still too large”, despite attempts to expel them from the country.
This was stated by the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) < strong>Christopher Ray.
— The footprint of Russian intelligence, and by this I mean intelligence officers, is still too large in the United States, and we are constantly confronted with it, trying to block, prevent and impede in every way we can,— Wray said during a speech at the Spy Museum in Washington.
In particular, he noted progress in reducing Russian spies in the United States.
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— I will say that over the past few years the United States has made significant positive progress in reducing the number of Russian intelligence officers in the United States, effectively driving them out, — says Ray.
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It is noted that the threat from Russian spies operating in the United States is not new. In 2018, the United States expelled 60 Russian diplomats identified as intelligence agents and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle in response to Russia's likely use of a nerve agent to poison ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who was living in Britain.
Not only “traditional intelligence officers” work for Russia. Thus, in 2020, a Mexican citizen was arrested in the United States, accusing him of helping Russian intelligence.
