Russia Expels Swedish Diplomat, Says It's Tit-for-Tat Move

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

Russia has expelled a Swedish diplomat in what it describes as a response to a similar Swedish move, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The move is a retaliatory measure to the "unfriendly action" against a Russian diplomat in Stockholm, the ministry said in a statement. It didn't identify either diplomat or give any further details.

The ministry added that "Stockholm bears full responsibility for the consequences of this provocation."

Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Johan Tegel confirmed that Russian authorities informed Stockholm that a member of staff at its embassy in Moscow must leave Russia.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-expels-swedish-diplomat-tit-tat-move-32867784

[TexasProgresive]

1. The string of the nuclear crossbow is being wound tight.

That's a reference to what I see is the end of détente in the cold war. Once again Russia with Putin at her helm is ratcheting up the rhetoric and actions that are eerily familiar to this observer who lived through the height of the cold war. Nuclear capable bombers probing the defenses of near neighbors and even the U.S., sponsoring a civil war in Ukraine and increased espionage.

Snip from the link:

In March, the Swedish security service SAPO accused Russia of using as many as one-third of its diplomatic staff in the Scandinavian country for clandestine intelligence-gathering. SAPO said it stopped several attempts by Russia last year to obtain Swedish technology for military purposes.