A US Radio Liberty in Prague has interviewed the former British military intelligence officer and now a historian of intelligence Michael Smith about Russian spies. The British intelligence officer said:

"Putin is implementing his ideas about an alleged threat to Russia, and the need to ensure its security.

  He believes that Russia should retain the same number of spies as it had during the cold war. In his opinion, Russia should develop espionage. For him, this is one of the evidences that Russia remains one of the world leaders and still has considerable intelligence capabilities. The exposure of the Russian spy net in America is one of the confirmations of it.

  It's all a part of his extensive plan to prevent the mythical threat from outside. This is a behavior, which the Russians expect from Putin. Putin, in their view, is a national leader, and he demonstrates that Russia is still a powerful country. Such behavior is of great importance for the Russian authorities.

  Two Russian citizens accused of working for the US, in particular, Sutyagin, appeared in the UK and do not make themselves visible, because when these people are in the hands of secret services they are being debriefed, i.e. interrogated. Debriefing takes place in conditions of complete isolation of these people, nobody knows what they say and how they behave. No information is given to the British press".

  It is to be mentioned that according to lies spread by FSB agents in Moscow, namely by his "brother" and his "lawyer", Sutyagin who was sent to "work" in the West in a swap to replace deported Russian spies, is now reportedly living with his old Moscow friends in London, and starting from July 23, he "studies the computer" to be able to write emails to his "brother" in Moscow because he "has no money" for phone calls from London.