By the Associated Press
Western officials say the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, poses a growing menace around the world.
This combination photo made available by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday Sept. 5, 2018, shows Alexander Petrov, left, and Ruslan Boshirov. British prosecutors have charged two Russian men, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with the nerve agent poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury. They are charged in absentia with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and use of the nerve agent Novichok. (Metropolitan Police via AP/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Increasingly alarmed by the agency's foreign forays, Western nations are scrambling to protect themselves — and to strike back against a shadowy organization British Prime Minister Theresa May calls "a threat to all our allies and our citizens."
This week Britain charged two alleged GRU agents in absentia with the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were left critically ill after being exposed to a Soviet-made nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.
Moscow denies any involvement, and Britain and its allies won't find it easy to counter an organization with strong ties to the Russian leadership and a seeming disregard for international laws.