Quote Originally Posted by English assassin

The fact that you don't exactly murder someone with radioactive polonium and hope that it won't be traced back to the Russian government has not entirely escaped notice either. Putin is certainly sending some messages isn't he?
I suspect that Russia as a whole is not to happy with thier dwindling sphere of influence. So as a world power do you go on about your losses or do you flex the muscle you still control? I suspect Russian behavior will continue to evolve with the energy issue as it pertains to the EU. This the lever Russia still has on the european bloc, and while Russia shouldnt bite the hand that feeds, world consumption of energy suggests for the time being that demand will support the Russian flexing of muscle.

As far as the murder goes, to me, how that played in the states and how I truly read it is a Russian security matter. Russia never seemed to have any qualms of killing its dissenters in grotesque fashions. the fact that it played out in the UK and has a broader political tone is a secondary circumstance IMHO.