This was one more setback in American-Russian relations and a further heightening of tensions over espionage between the former Cold War rivals. There is no doubt that this latest incident was in retaliation by Russian counterintelligence for the arrest in Washington of a US Navy petty officer. The arrest was made by the US Navy Criminal Investigation Service in early November of Petty Officer, 1st Class, Daniel King. He was charged with espionage for passing American secrets to Russia. According to US Navy officials, Petty Officer King, a 16-year veteran, was working in 1994 at the Naval Security Group, Fort Meade, MD, when he passed information about US submarine operations to the Russians.
Russian intelligence pays solely for information requested by the military leadership in Moscow.
The information relayed by Petty Officer King was the US Navy communication coding keys, which could give Moscow a decisive strategic advantage over the United States. Russian public sentiment has turned sharply against the West in recent months, especially in light of the NATO air war in Kosovo against Serbia, Russia's Balkan ally. Russians also reject the growing Western criticism of the RF military action in the breakaway republic of Chechnya. Petty Officer King is only one of many Russian spies who look like ordinary Americans but, in reality, are working for Russian intelligence and betraying their own country. Americans continue to be the main target of the Russian spy agencies just as they were during the Soviet regime.