Now a more serious thread on the new "Novichok sanctions". First, I disagree with many of the comments that "sanctions against low-level staff are useless". On the contrary, I think individual name-and-shame sanctions are important to deter future recruiting efforts by FSB/GRU.
https://twitter.com/christogrozev/status/1428691173150019595
It's one thing when media publish names & photos of suspected poisoners; a new level of stigma when governments sanction them (and validate media's findings). These guys were promised protection, cover and anonymity by their employers. Now they're on public blacklists forever.
...the next job interviews for GRU and FSB's poison departments won't go smooth... thus much fewer Kudryavtsevs, Osipovs, and Alexandrovs to pick from...and those who apply will be the dumbest ones anyway.
Second, an very important: disappointing that neither US nor UK sanctioned the Signal institute as an entity. (US sanctioned its CEO Zhirov only). As we showed in our investigation, Signal is the hotbed of covert, boutique CW development.
Without Signal being sanctioned, it will continue to have access to purchasing sophisticated Western technology, including chromatography/spectrometry equipment that they can't buy locally. US/UK left a fox in the chicken cage.
And last but not least, where's the EU??
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