Posted on 11/24/2006 5:34:19 PM PST by A. Pole
IMAGINE you were a foreign power that wanted to get rid of a dissident who had set up home in London. Would you (a) push the troublemaker under a bus, (b) have him mown down by a hit-run driver, or (c) arrange for him to be poisoned while eating in a crowded restaurant?
If you wanted to make the death look natural, or just to keep things simple, you would presumably avoid the restaurant scenario. And yet, if many Russia-watchers are to be believed, the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) has carried out just such an assassination.
On November 1, Alexander Litvinenko, a 43-year-old Russian who used to work for the FSB — the post-Soviet version of the KGB — had breakfast with two Russian men, one a former KGB officer, at the Millennium hotel in Mayfair, then lunch at Itsu, a cheap and cheerful Japanese eatery in London, with an Italian defence consultant, Mario Scaramella. Litvinenko later claimed that Scaramella had shown him
a hit list featuring Litvinenko's name as well as that of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
By that evening, he was so ill he was taken to hospital. Doctors wasted 10 days trying to treat him for food poisoning. His condition deteriorated — hair falling out, difficulty speaking, white blood cells disappearing, unable to eat, even nourishment from a drip causing him to vomit.
It wasn't until earlier this week, after listening to their patient's pleas, that doctors said they were investigating the possibility of poisoning. Initially they suspected thallium, a tasteless, odourless killer used in rat poison until it was banned in the 1970s. By Thursday, however, with Litvinenko's condition deteriorating rapidly, a hospital spokesman said the medical team had ruled out thallium but was still unclear about the cause of his condition. A friend said the former spy had suffered a cardiac arrest and was on an artificial heart support machine. Litvinenko died yesterday, at 8.21am Melbourne time.
Litvinenko's friends in London have been quick to accuse the Kremlin of being behind this poisoning. They say Russia wanted to stop Litvinenko investigating the assassination last month of another high-profile critic of the Russian Government — his friend, the campaigning journalist Politkovskaya. They believe the Kremlin was also to blame for Politkovskaya being shot outside her Moscow apartment door.
[...]
It is still possible that I win Powerball jackpot, although I do not even play lottery. Do not complicate. I see the case is open and shut, with the only thing left to do is naming, tracing, and liquidating the kegebuns involved.
As someone else mentioned, there could be a variety of reasons why the P 210 was smuggled to England. All we know is it got as far as London. There are a variety of reasons why it could have been smuggled there. For instance, it could have been in transit, a test or to provide bona fides, etc. The most obvious conclusion, the one that is being broadcasted to anyone who will listen by Gordievsky, may just be a cover. I'm not ruling out your interpretation, but let's remember the KGB have carried out many similar operations in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. On that, there is no doubt in my mind.
"When you are dealing with the wilderness of mirrors,"
What wilderness of mirrors?
What part of "Russians are the worst genocidal murders of all time" do you not understand?
http://genocidecurriculum.org/
I understand that very well. It's one of the reasons, combined with the KGB's history and their building of Iran's nuclear program, that makes me believe there is more to this picture than meets the eye. If my suspicions are correct, this case involves Russia in something far worse than the murder of a Putin critic.
==naming, tracing, and liquidating the kegebuns involved.
On that, we both agree. I would only add conclusively figuring out why the P 210 was there in the first place, and, potentially, where it was going.
it was going in Litvinenko's food.
Also...
What is the risk to other people from the dose Mr Litvinenko received?
It cannot pass through the skin, and must be ingested or inhaled (or delivered through a wound as per above--GGG) into the body to cause damage.
And because the radiation has a very short range, it only harms nearby tissue, so those who came into contact with him are at very little risk.
William Gelletly, professor of physics at the University of Surrey, said: "Polonium-210 is very unlikely to have contaminated any staff who treated Mr Litvinenko or anyone who came in contact with him since they would have had to ingest or breathe in the contaminated fluids from his body."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6181688.stm
"If my suspicions are correct, this case involves Russia in something far worse than the murder of a Putin critic."
Nobody's biting - if it walks and talks like a duck - guess what?
This is another in a LONG line of enemies of the Kremlin that have been liquidated - well over 100 million by now.
That's too bad. Well, I pretty much have it narrowed down to either Litvinenko was setup by Gordievsky (probably a phony defector) and co., or he died accidentally in a smuggling operation. Time will tell (hopefully).
"Well, I pretty much have it narrowed down to either Litvinenko was setup by Gordievsky (probably a phony defector) and co., or he died accidentally in a smuggling operation."
Pray tell by what leap of faith are you ignoring Putin's duplicity in liquidating his enemies.
"Litvinenko is himself a phony defector "
Next you'll announce Christmas is canceled as he was also Santa Claus.
Certainly Moscow did not do it. If they did they would use something else than dioxin. As well you can try to poison someone with DDT. It is loony and dumb to believe such conspiracy theory.
More likely he was murdered by someone who wanted to embarrass Putin during the Helsinki meeting with EU.
There is one assassination for which one could suspect Russia. It was death of Yandarbiev in Qatar Such killing makes sense.
Litvinenko was a little fish. There are much more attractive targets in UK but it is very dubious that Russians would risk alienating the British.
You logic is circular. You think that Putin ordered idiotic crimes because he is a nasty (and stupid) "snake", and this that he ordered it proves that his is indeed such a character.A because B and B because of A.
If he wanted to play such game he would start with Zakayev. It would be more useful and would gain more respect.
No. But I do maintain that Litvinenko at a minimum got himself mixed up the a phony defector, Gordievsky. Gordievsky is either connected to the murder, or in on the smuggling operation IMO. And since he is still among the living, part of the investigation into Litvinenko's premature demise should focus on him.
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