Russia’s Latest Atrocity

Prepare to add crippling assaults on US diplomats to Vladimir Putin’s long, long list of crimes. It now looks like Moscow is behind the series of strange “sonic attacks” starting in November 2016 that left three dozen Americans stationed in Cuba, and possibly others working in China, with concussion-like symptoms — and several suffering permanent ear and/or brain damage.

The victims reported hearing highpitched sounds emanating from their homes or hotel rooms, followed by symptoms of nausea, hearing loss, headaches, dizziness, etc. The New York Times recently reported that US investigators now think the weapon was microwaves beamed at the diplomats’ residences.

And NBC News cites multiple government sources saying that a long and ongoing investigation by US intelligence agencies has amassed evidence (including intercepted communications) that Russia was behind the attacks.

The intel community isn’t ready to conclusively and publicly point the finger. Among other things, US researchers are still trying to reverse-engineer the weapon.

Add this to the Putin regime’s use of a chemical weapon in an assassination attempt on British soil (which wound up killing one bystander), as well as Moscow’s campaign to sow hate and division in the 2016 US election — and, of course, the invasions of Ukraine and Georgia and likely crimes against humanity in Syria.

This is a rogue regime. New sanctions and expelling more of Putin’s diplomats won’t be enough: It’s time to start expelling Russia from Interpol and any other international body whose members are supposed to respect the rule of law.