Edward Lucas, Eastern Approaches (Economist.com) Time was when spy swaps took place in icy geopolitical conditions, often over the Glienicke Bridge which linked West Berlin to Soviet-occupied Potsdam. The "reset" between Russia and America has put a layer of political warmth over the spymasters' steely calculations.
America has refrained from any triumphalist rhetoric about catching 10 alleged Russian spies. Russia has (largely) refrained from any bluster. It would be in the interests of both sides to do a deal and it should be no surprise that one appears to be in the works. Igor Sutyagin, a high-profile prisoner accused of spying for the west (which he denies) has been moved from his penal colony near Archangel (Arkhangelsk in Russian) to Lefortovo prison in Moscow.
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http://www.economist.com/blogs... 