I disagree with you Stephen.  I am glad Russia simply gave him the boot and hope this 'caught spies getting tossed instead of imprisoned or shot' continues. 

According to the Russians this guy's mission was information gathering via recruiting sources; specifically regarding the Boston Bombing-Chechnya connection.  Spying to gather intel is not an unworthy task---it helps confirm other intelligence gathering ("trust but verify") using your own people.   It is actually a stabilizing activity benefiting both sides rather than a malicious or destructive one.  When a foreign agent is detected they can either be fed info, observed, arrested or turned.