The free world turns on Putin

Collective action by more than 20 countries, including Australia and the US, in expelling more than 130 “diplomats’’ — most of whom, in reality, were spies — sends a powerful message that Vladimir Putin, amid his delusional dreams of a Soviet resurgence, should not ignore. It is probably the largest group of Russians expelled in one swoop at any time, including the Cold War. The combined move, as Malcolm Turnbull said, is a “very, very strong, collective response” to the “brazen, criminal” first deployment of a chemical weapon in Europe since World War II. The Russian nerve agent novichok was used in a terrorist attack in the British town of Salisbury against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. They remain in a critical condition in hospital. About 130 people were affected by the agent.

Among more than 130 Russian spies given their marching orders are two “diplomats” at the Russian embassy in Canberra. Mr Turnbull is right to have ordered them out. As Washington correspondent Cameron Stewart reported presciently in 2015, Australia increasingly has become a target for Kremlin dirty tricks. Moscow has boosted espionage operations here as part of a bid to steal hi-tech military, scientific and economic secrets from the West. During the Cold War, Russia posted undeclared intelligence officers to Australia under diplomatic cover. Others have masqueraded as businesspeople and professionals.

The expulsions are likely to provoke retaliatory expulsions from our embassy in Moscow. That is of little consequence given the need to ensure Australia is in the forefront of the global demarche against Moscow. Australia has had sanctions in place against Russia since its illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea. These were increased after the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with a Russian missile.

The collective expulsion of Russian spies is a reflection of universal anger over the novichok attack. The Trump administration, despite the US President’s persistent efforts to reach out to Mr Putin, has taken the lead, expelling 60 Russian spies, including 12 at the UN. The US has also closed the Russian consulate in Seattle. The Kremlin and its apologists, such as British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, may try to pretend that Russia’s culpability for the attack is in doubt. It is not, and the fact so many countries, including Germany and France, which both have gone out of their way to maintain good relations with Mr Putin, have joined the withdrawals shows the depth of anger.

Unprecedented collective action against spies is unlikely to bring Mr Putin to his senses, however. It must not be the high-water mark for retaliation against the novichok attack. Both British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Council President Donald Tusk warned that the expulsion of Russian spies could be followed by further measures aimed at punishing Mr Putin. His real vulnerability lies in the vast wealth held by his oligarch cronies around the world, which should be targeted to deter him from further aggression. The collective expulsion of spies, hopefully, will play havoc with the Russian intelligence network. It will not amount to much, however, if Mr Putin is allowed to replace spies with spies. The real challenge is to make him pay a serious price for the Kremlin’s behaviour.