Russia asking U.S. to return a mole
Lawmakers want to make a point with an extradition request for a man who exposed Russian spies in 2010.
MOSCOW — Attempting to make a political point, a group of Russian lawmakers is initiating a request that the United States extradite a Russian intelligence officer, Col. Alexander Poteyev, who escaped to America in 2010 after betraying a major network of Russian spies in the U.S.
The lawmakers are comparing the case of Poteyev to that of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who remains holed up in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and has requested asylum in more than two dozen nations.
“We initiate this request in connection with the status and the situation around Edward Snowden, who is still in Russia,” said a lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
“Thus we would like to test the readiness of the United States for cooperation with Russia on various issues.”
Poteyev fled Russia after exposing 11 spies working in the United States, including Anna Chapman, who were detained and exchanged for two Russians serving prison terms for espionage.
A Russian military court found Poteyev guilty in absentia of treason.
“This move is certainly designed to only demonstrate to the United States that they have no right to ask for Snowden’s extradition,” said Igor Korotchenko, editor of the monthly journal National Defense. “The United States will never ever extradite Poteyev because he was the most precious mole the U.S. ever had recruited among the Russian intelligence. The U.S. will not exchange Poteyev for 10 Snowdens.”
Venezuela and Nicaragua extended offers of asylum to Snowden on Friday, although the details of how either offer would be carried out remained vague.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said last week that it would be best both for Snowden and Russia if he could leave soon.
On Saturday, a senior parliament official hailed the Venezuelan offer as a workable choice.
“For Snowden, asylum in Venezuela could be the best decision,” Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the foreign relations committee in parliament’s lower house, tweeted. “This country is in sharp conf lict with the United States.
“He can’t live at Sheremetyevo, can he?” the lawmaker noted.
However, Snowden cannot leave the airport’s transit zone without proper papers, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said.
“He can’t buy a ticket and travel anywhere until he gets a valid set of traveling documents,” the official said.
“For this reason he was not on the list of passengers for a Havana-bound flight today, and he hasn’t booked a seat for a Monday flight either. Snowden will be able to travel out of Russia as soon as Venezuela or Nicaragua equips him with some valid foreign travel i.d., now that they offered him asylum.”
Experts agree Havana would be the preferred transit point for Snowden to use en route to Caracas, Venezuela, a city to which there are no direct flights from Moscow.