Spies like Putin also like to send a message that can't be misinterpreted -- see also "Mafia".
Democrat = Blue
Republican = Red
The idea is the publicity. There's two major effects this thing caused. One is the tremendous cost of the the attack, and the other is the cost of preventing another similar attack. Obviously the main attack was intended to have a maximum and long term financial effect. That is the message they intended to get across and that's why they chose radioslime.
It would have been easier to shoot him in the head with a silenced .22 and then stolen his wallet. A lot less suspicion would have fallen on the KGB that way. This was done to kill him publically, horribly and painfully as a warning to others.
That the KGB feels free to conduct a public killing in London shows the contempt the rest of the world (justifiably) holds the west in. That Blair is most concerned about "managing" the relationship with Russia shows the depths to which we have sunk. He should expel all their diplomats today.
We would do no better. Had this happened in the US, our State Dept would be busy working to smooth things out and cover up Moscow's involvement.
Sending a message to others who might be disposed to do as Litvinenko had done? All those others would have to do is open a newspaper or switch on a TV and they would know.
...and to be traced back to Russia, as this was? Well, I'll tell you. Or rather, I will show you.
Q: What is the significance of Sasha Litvinenko?
A: He is a defector from the FSB.
Q: Who benefits if a defector is rather publically delivered unto a gruesome death?
A: Hmmm....
Q: What does this say about MI5/MI6 ability to protect targeted defectors?
Q: What effects will this have on other would-be defectors to the UK or USA?
Believe me, this killing was meant to get attention. It was the organization which is still at its core the Cheka sending a message that the black heart of Dzherzhinsky still animates that particular monster.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Eventually a sample of Litvinenko’s urine was sent for testing at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston. Again geiger counters showed only a tiny amount more gamma radiation than the normal background level. In the end scientists decided to use an alpha detector and were shocked to find a stream of helium nuclei being emitted from the sample.
If Atomic Weapons Scientists were shocked, you can bet the farm that the police had no clue whatsoever. The scientists had to invent new methods to isolate the Polonium from the organics. See following quote.
“It’s not easy because the standard methods you use do not work for polonium,” said Priest. “The methods were worked out at Aldermaston.”
In typical testing of a sample, organic matter is burnt off to leave foreign substances. But that might easily have vaporised the polonium as well, leaving no trace of the poison.
Again, it would have been impossible for police or Scotland Yard to have identified the Polonium accurately. See the following quote.
It was only the skills and experience of the AWE, which used to process polonium for use in the triggers in nuclear bombs, that led to the substance being identified.
IMHO - This is the most important part of this article. The Polonium was not supposed to be detected !