U.S. official: Russia ramped up its espionage capability

Both sides said the tension is not a return to the Cold War.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Russia has fully restored its espionage capabilities against the United States after a period of decline after the Cold War, a senior U.S. counterintelligence official said Thursday.
Joel Brenner, the head of the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, said the United States is concerned that Russia is continuing to ramp up its operations.
"The Russians are now back at Cold War levels in their efforts against the United States," he said at an event held by the American Bar Association. "They are sending over an increasing and troubling number of intelligence agents."
Tension
The comments come at a time of greater tension between the two countries, as Russian officials have expressed frustration at what they see as U.S. foreign policy unrestrained by consultation with other world powers, including Russia. They have criticized the expansion of NATO into the former Soviet sphere of influence and U.S. plans to install radar and interceptors in Eastern Europe as part of a missile defense program.
In turn, U.S. officials have warned that Russia's increased assertiveness in challenging U.S. policy is complicating cooperation on important foreign-policy goals including counterterrorism, nuclear nonproliferation and democracy promotion in the Middle East.
Diplomatic help
However, both sides deny that the tension means a return to the Cold War. U.S. officials have praised Russian diplomatic help in the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament in North Korea. Russia has also provided backing for U.S. efforts to force Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by joining other members in the United Nations Security Council recently in voting to impose limited sanctions for the second time in recent months.
In angry comments at a conference in Munich last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States "has overstepped its national borders in every way" and that "the almost uncontained ... use of force in international relations" was prompting countries opposed to Washington to seek to build up nuclear arsenals.
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