Russia demands the handover of Putin's critics in exchange for poison case help

The Times ^ | December 6, 2006 | Tony Halpin and Daniel McGrory

[MadIvan]

I wonder what part of "Go to hell" the Russians don't understand. This behaviour is outrageous.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[dixiechick2000]

Ya' think they might just possibly have something to hide?


lol

[GSlob]

Well, the proper way to handle it is the termination of relationships. Would Blair go for it?

[MadIvan]

I think Blair can only be pushed so far before he turns around and does something.

Regards, Ivan

[Yaelle]

Luguvoy and Trepashkin should not be buying any green bananas.

[Yaelle]

I hope he does. Someone has to. You talk about your "Cold War."

[Howlin]

Is he gonna keep those 2 or 3 BA planes that were on the ground in Moscow?

Boy, you have to hand it to him: this took B A L L S.

[MadIvan]

This issue infuriates me. I am not a big Litvinenko supporter, however there is a principle at stake - if Russia thinks they can stomp in here and poison our citizens, they are very, very mistaken.

I'm sure that if this incident happened in America, and Russia was just as brazen, you lot would be infuriated for similar reasons.

Regards, Ivan

[AmericanExceptionalist]

Russia named its price yesterday for providing help in the investigation into the death by poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. It demanded that Britain hand over the enemies of President Putin who have been given asylum in London.

It is a sure sign of a weak (if not illegitimate) regime: It simply cannot brook dissent, even from afar.

Not that long ago, I was of the (apparently naive) opinion that the days of the Solzhenitsyns and Sakharovs were a thing of the past. Russia, the embryonic democracy--freed from its totalitarian past--would at least tolerate dissent, if not embrace it.

It was a nice thought.

[justa-hairyape]

I'm sure that if this incident happened in America, and Russia was just as brazen, you lot would be infuriated for similar reasons.

Quite a few of us born in the states can trace our ancestors back to that big island of yours. That alone makes me infuriated (half Scottish), but England has been and still is a crucial part of the Free World. Although it probably wont do much, perhaps we need to get the UN involved and send some inspectors over to Russia to try to determine the source of this nuclear material. One would think that Russia should at least lose its security council status at the UN due to its lack of cooperation in investigating the source of a Nuclear Based Weapon that was deployed on a UN member states soil.

[Cinnamon]

technically you could say Russia used a nuclear weapon against a person on British soil.

[M. Espinola]

This is beyond the point of incredible pomposity, even on KGB Putin's part "...demanded that Britain hand over the enemies of President Putin who have been given asylum in London."

On the other hand it's 100% text book Stalinist to murder all opposition domestic and overseas.

The new boss ..

is the same as all the old bosses.

[justa-hairyape]

Putin's reaction also destroys the theory that Lugovoi was framed. If Putin thought there was a chance Lugovoi was framed, Putin would be investigating fully to discover who framed Lugovoi and where the rest of the Polonium may be located. All Putin has done with his demand to release his enemies seeking asylum in England, is to increase the perception of his apparent obsession with his former enemies. I could understand Putin's position if the Polonium plot was a plot to poison Putin, but it was not.

[justa-hairyape]

technically you could say Russia used a nuclear weapon against a person on British soil.

Thanks. That is a technically better way to describe the matter. Also, he was more then just a person. He was a British citizen. So perhaps we should state it as follows to be technically correct - The investigation points to the high probability that a Russian citizen used a nuclear weapon against a British citizen on British soil. Now if that does not warrant a UN investigation, we do not need a UN whatsoever.

[GSlob]

"Not that long ago, I was of the (apparently naive) opinion that the days of the Solzhenitsyns and Sakharovs were a thing of the past."
Well, whenever that old opinion comes upon you again - remember that I could sell you a large piece of kremlin for a song and a couple of dollars. All the others would be charging you at least $2.50, and the more brazen ones would demand $3. Besides, their kremlin is of inferior quality, with polonium.

[bushfamfan]

Russia/wannabe Soviets still have "Evil" to describe them.

[M. Espinola]

The Evil Empire has taken off it's mask of deception through Putin previous public relations & diplomatic con jobs on appeasing Western leaders. Let's really hope the West wakes up before it's too late.

[Smokin' Joe]

The veneer of Soviet... er, Russian, yep! Russian Democracy wears thinner and thinner.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The world is about back to where it was when I came in.