Yes, but that's a different kind of operation (they're run by the military).

The correct answer to my question is (if you go 40 rather than 20 years) that the bodies are very much buried in Northern Ireland (although the FRU was part of the British Army)

The drone assassinations by the UK are extrajudicial killings, not military operations.

https://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/britains-secret-as...

So those are different assasinations?

The military and intelligence services are rather fuzzy though, aren't they? The CIA uses drones, they regularly employ SEAL teams.

The CIA storing brown people in black sites is heinous but there is a certain logic to the operation, as opposed to bumping off defectors which is purely "political". Drone strikes are an ugly solution to an awful situation (this administration is pushing the boundary's of "solution" but still - Trump bombs more than Obama & Bush combined IIRC + Soulemani )

The Russians have always been much better at espionage than the west, that's why they're bolder with these public hits.

It is indeed fuzzy

The destruction of Jewish businesses on Kristallnacht 'made a lot of sense' to many Germans at the time. Are you so sure you want to use this particular point to pivot your argument?

There is NO logic to violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, nor any of the myriad laws against extrajudicial killing, rendition and torture. It defies logic, unless the real intent is to foment the conditions ripe for yet more, endless war.

I think drone strikes were a stupid solution the first time they killed a bunch of people who just happened to stand next to the intended target. Then they went downhill from there. (Edit: for instance going after someone based on very questionable intel.)

Also I think espionage is (and I think I agree, the Soviets were better at infiltration probably) orthogonal to bold public hits. The public hits are an intimidation tactic.