What do you think about the expulsion of the Russian diplomats...?

Question

What do you think will be Russia's response?

Answer 1

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That is what it's all is.

A few years back, Russia requested the UK to extradite Berezovsky back to Russia to stand trial for corruption and embezzlement. Berezovsky embezzled billions of dollars during the Yeltsin presidency. When Putin came to power, Berezovsky escaped and took refuge in the UK. Russia later requested the UK for his extradition and the return of the billions of dollars of ill-gotten money (now deposited in British banks) back to Russia. The British government denied this extradition request and also refused to turn back the money to Russia.

Add to this another Russian request to the UK to extradite a wanted Chechen terrorist back to Russia, who is also now taking refuge in the UK. It was ironic that the British government also denied this request, in total contradiction to the UK's firm and vocal stand on the war against terrorism.

Britain is now having a taste of its own hypocrisy. I already knew right from the beginning that even if Britain later found Lugovoy to be the murderer of Litvinenko (by radioactive poisoning), I expected that Russia would also one day refuse Lugovoy's extradition to the UK.

These whole sequence of incidents is all tit-for-tat. I also expect that in response to the British expulsion of the four Russian diplomats, Russia will also expel some British diplomats.

I'm not anti-British nor pro-Russian, but this is how I see both sides of the coin.

Answer 2

I am a duel Russian and British citizen, have lived in this country since 1991. Unlike most of the Russians living here I don't bang on about Mother Russia and how good the life is over there. I am very cynical about Putin, his lieutenants, courts etc. and am very thankful for the opportunities given to me in this country.. However the reality is that most of those ex-KGB people don't work for the Government, there is no money to be made there. They are hired by private businesses. I have grave doubts that the Kremlin was involved in the murder of Litvinenko. Contrary to the mass media label of a promionent dissident, nobody heard his name neither in Russia nor in this country untill he was murdered. So why spend millions on the expensive murder? I think the motive for his killing had nothing to do with his unremakable contribution to fighting the Putin regime 5 years prior to his killing, but more likely to be related to some other murky dealings he might have continued to be involved whilst over here.
However judging by the British Government responce, which is directed essensially against the Russian state bodies, the foregone conclusion is that the Russian state was involved in the murder.
There is no way that Lugovoy could have been extradited regardless of the merits of the case. There is no mechanism in Russian law which would have allowed to override the Russian Constitution which doesn't allow extradition of its citizens. It it quite primitive to expect that the Russian state would have overuled its Constitution illegally just because the British said so. It was never going to be an option so why not explore some Russian proposals, such as the ways when Lugovoy could have been investigated and tried jointly one way or another. Yes, the murder was on the British soil and under the British law he is to be tried here, but under the Russian law he can't be extradited. So the only options are to arrest Ludovoy if he ever travels outsied Russia, or set up a joint investigation/ court. After all special arrangements were made for the Libyan bombing suspects. Speaking of which, we now hear that the original Scottish court blatantly disregarded the evidence presented by the defence at this trial, and the appeal has now been allowed. So not every British court is cabable of being just and impartial after all. This along with appointing the friendly judge for the Hutton enquiry who was later knighted, I think, and quite obviously illegal and primitively justified to suit the decision already made attack on Iraq doesn't anymore give Britain an upper hand in the world when in comes to fare play.
Britain can only loose from this pathetic poorly thought through escalation with Russia.

Answer 3

the expulsion shows a low maturity from this new Brown administration.
Precedents shows that Britain has refused extradition before too and Russia didnt overreact like that.
Expelling a diplomat is a serious, disrespectfull action toward another country, specially a powerfull country like Russia who sits on the security council.
It's paramount to an insult, a slap in the face

Answer 4

The Russians those in charge over the years/centuries have evolved a culture of disregard for their citizens even ruthlessness. Its a very different culture to that of the west.

They don't seem to care about individual human lives as much as we do. Examples: WW2 they saw their troops as pure cannon fodder they were told advance and fight and if they turned back they were shot. Think Berlin when the Russians built the wall and the policy of shoot to kill any citizen trying to "escape", causing east German citizens to be literally caged. Think more recently, Moscow theatre siege when their answer to the problem was to gas everyone in the cinema. The extreme poverty which it is well known the vast majority of Russians have always lived in.

You just don't see this in the west because we have more respect for human life and whats right and wrong. In this day and age we should have nothing to do with a state that values human life so insignificantly.

Answer 5

At the end of the day, one guy got killed and he was Russian and hardly whiter than white. A radioactive substance has been spread throughout several premises in London resulting in a big cleanup task. This is the first time it has happened, as far as we know.
I can't understand why the UK government is risking so much:
Disproportional political retaliation from Russia.
Loosing out big time in terms of future business & trade in Russia.
Straining already tense relations further.
Risking being cast again as hypocritical because of our refusal to meet previous extradition requests of Russia.

Answer 6

the expulsion is a childish and belligerent move by the british government which will only serve to worsen relations with russia and make the world more unstable by spliting it in colliding spheres of influence like we had during the cold war. i don't know what russia's response will be, but personally owing to the behaviour of british embassy officials in 2006, i don't think they will have many quams in expelling british diplomats or even shutting the british emabssy in moscow. i think it will take more belligerent moves by america's puppy to make russia do anything more serious in other areas like iran, or kosovo negociations.

Answer 7

I hope that we are all ready and prepared to spend a very long cold winter with energy prices absolutely sky high. Russia no longer needs miliatary might to put a stranglehold on the European West, it has energy and has shown that as a formidable weapon it works just as well. Mr.Putin is to be congratulated on being the first Russian leader clever enough to see that bullets and bombs bring only retaliation, shutting off the oil and gas allows for none.

Answer 8

From a news website of another EU country: "Russia justified it's position saying their refusal to extradite is in conformity with their constitution, as well as the european convention on extradition.

Russia adds that Great Britain has itself refused to extradite criminals, such as the Russian businessman Boris Berezovski, or Chechen separatist Ahmed Zakaiev. "

I always find getting my info from other sources, outside the debacle gives an interesting perspective. I am now off to find the perspective of a news site outside the EU-UK-US-Russia group. Any ideas on a coutnry that may be unbiased?

Answer 9

If the boot were on the other foot, the Russians would not think twice about expelling British Diplomats.

Answer 10

Agree totally - the British Government have to fight back against Russian state sponsored murder carried out in our country.

I expect the Stalinist Russian government's response will be one of righteous indignation with a similar spate of expulsions and threats. Let them get on with it.