Listen up folks, we’ve got some juicy news about the latest departures from Germany. But don’t be fooled, they’re not calling it expulsions, oh no, they’ve got a fancier term for it. Apparently, these diplomats’ departure is linked to “reducing the Russian intelligence presence in Germany.” Wow, so fancy, sounds like something you’d hear at a high-end gathering for the intellectuals.

Now, expulsions have been a common occurrence when it comes to Russian operations in Germany, whether it be a hack or an invasion of Ukraine. In fact, back in 2015, 40 diplomats were sent packing to Moscow. Talk about being kicked out of a party! But experts are saying that the current move is part of a bigger plan to bolster their counterintelligence and, in a more discreet way, chip away at the embarrassingly high number of Russian spies lurking around.

However, one analyst, Stefan Meister, from the German Council on Foreign Relations, thinks that Germany has been a bit slow in this counterintelligence business, he even recalls a time back in 2000 when they didn’t have a single Russian speaker on staff. But it’s not all Germany’s fault, Putin has always had Germany in his sights, and when you’re up against a man who has no limits and a lot of resources to put into espionage, it’s no surprise that Germany has been left a few steps behind.

Finally, after all these years, they’ve expelled these guys, but why did it take so long? It’s like waiting for your favorite TV show to release a new season, the anticipation was unbearable. But the real question here is what’s going on at the Russian Embassy, a place where towering stone structures are engraved with Soviet hammers and sickles. It’s been a site of fascination, consternation and intrigue for a while now, who knows what they’re up to in there? Maybe they’re just throwing a really big party, who knows?

Serious News: nytimes