FSB colonel named in Litvinenko poison plot

Kremlin wants to quiz exiles (click on)

The Russian investigators’ targets are Boris Berezovsky, a billionaire businessman who employed Litvinenko and is a long-standing critic of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and Akhmed Zakayev, a Chechen exile the Russians have wanted to extradite on terrorism charges, which he denies.

Let's wind this up.

Russia is a sovereign nation. It was part of a larger nation, the USSR, that dissolved after the Chernobyl Disaster (click on).

Right or wrong, there was a lot of destabilizing events in Russia. It took three months following the collapse of the USSR to retrieve the Russian spacecraft back to Earth.

The possibility of Russia becoming a democracy was to the delight of every investor in the world. At the forefront of these possiblities were oligarchs (Russian wealthy men). They used the opportunity before them to seize the assets of Russia and obtain personal wealth, among these opportunists are the men you see below who were involved with Yukos, the largest Russia oil company that existed. At the time, Mikhail Khodorkovsky was considered to be the wealthiest Russian in the country and the fifteenth wealthiest man in the world.

To capitalist societies such as the USA and those Western nations of Europe, that all seems to be in order. But, the assets these men now owned were only a short time ago those of Russia, the people of a communist nation. Within the government structure still existed the old communists. They had/have alligence to their beliefs in communism as it existed before Mikhail Gorbachev. They weren't completely wrong, in that Russian assets in the hands of a few might deprive the people of Russia a way of life. A quality of life. They were probably right.

At the time Yukos was dismantled it was said that it owed the Russian government a lot of money in taxes. The owners were accused of fraud and tax evasion. They are in a Russian prison.

The West seems to think what occurred over Yukos is wrong. That it is okay for a nation's assets to be reassigned to a few wealthy men ready and willing to play ball with Western investors direly in need of large oil supplies outside that of the Middle East. The oligarchs were viewed as men who could make Western dreams come true. This wasn't that long ago. It was somewhere around 2001 to 2002, something like that.

The oligarchs wanted it all. Some had military forces and one even a jet fighter. That is a direct threat to the sovereignty of any nation, not just Russia by the way. These men were enormously wealthy. They had power. They were like their own nations, they could buy anything, affect the outcomes of elections, influence global markets and they wanted more than they had. They wanted Russia.

Why?

Because Russia had laws that would prevent them from freely wielding power. They wanted to change all that 'in the name of democracy.' They began to seek public office and Mr. Khodorkovsky at the time Yukos was being pursued by the Russian government was running in elections for President against Vladimir Putin.

It is stated that Khodorkovsky is in prison today because he dared oppose Putin.

In all honesty.

It all depends which way you see the crystal ball.

If you see it from the stand point that Russia continued to be 'up for grabs' and there was no authority that should have opposed the conversion of Russia to a completely free democracy then one believes Putin's government torpedoed Mr. Khodorkovsky's attempt at an 'election coup.'

If, as I do, one believes the stability of a nation is important and people matter, then the crystal ball paints a very different picture and one that was already being engaged by Vladimir Putin. At the time when he was running for President and Mr. Khodorkovsky wanted to oppose him, he was actively entertaining the views by the 'old Russian Communists' and planning to put old symbols back into Russian culture. He felt that Russia was unstable and those most loyal to Russia were more important than anyone was giving them credit for.

My purpose here is not to judge the actions of Russia against Yukos or the merit or lack there of by Vladimir Putin. It is to assign blame for murders and poisonings that seem to be running rampant with those that oppose Russian authorities and among exiles. So. Do I believe the Russian government is responsible for the deaths and poisonings here? No, I don't.

I believe Boris Berezovsky, his power, his influence, his wealth and his hatred of the Russian government has used the West's rejected status by Russia to build a coalition of sympathy. I think he is either directly responsible for all this or indirectly by sanctioning assassinations while defaming his former place of citizenry.

Now, unless the evidence changes, as it may; it seems very obvious that Mr. Scaramella was the first to have contact with Mr. Litvinenko. Do I believe he would do such a thing? You betcha.

Why?

Because at the end of this rainbow is a nation called Russia within their reach if the Russian leadership can be viewed as hostile to it's own people. I believe these men are blood thirsty and ruthless without exception. I also believe the security business Mr. Berezovsky was running was legitimate but with former KGB working for him it also fronted as a way to act against the Russian government. I also believe Mr. Berezovsky is enough of a compelling figure that he could be viewed as the one man that would finance the poisonings and deaths of high profile people that actively opposed the Russian President for the sole purpose of destabizing the country that was once his homeland.

I believe Mr. Scaramella was an instrument to Mr. Berezovsky. The fact that Mr. Berezovsky is in so many places where underworld activities have manifested TO THE SAME END, that being the humiliation of a Russian President is more than suspicious. I think it is damning.

Good night.

Mr. Scaramella had many interests of his own

SCARAMELLA: WAS IN GARGANO FOR BUSINESS IN EARLY NOVEMBER(AGI) - Foggia, Dec. 9 - Mario Scaramella, the consultant for the Mitrokhin commission, who ended up in the hospital in London for suspected contamination from polonium 210, was in Gargano and in particular in the Gargano National Park at the beginning of November. Scaramella, consultant for the Vesuvio National Park Body, was assigned to carry out the demolition of buildings constructed by organized crime in the protected campana area and was invited by the president of the Gargano National Park, Giandiego Gatta, to discuss some illegal real estate within the Gargano protected area. As was confirmed by the president of the park, Mario Scaramella supposedly had already been in the Gargano previously. The man who ended up in half of the world's newspapers, in fact, supposedly arrived in the province of Foggia as a consultant for a San Marino company that had relations with the minister of the environment, to speak about possible demolitions of illegal real estate: 500 thousand euro were the ministerial funds provided for this goal. Immediately afterwards there was chaos provoked by the news on Scaramella and after remembering his recent visit to the Gargano, the heads of the Park who were worried about what they had read and what was said about Scaramella supposedly sent a letter to the ASL (regional health centre) and the Prefect's office of Foggia. (AGI) - 091830 DIC 06

Litvinenko's associate 'in a coma' as spy murder mystery deepens

Curiouser and curiouser: the story that becomes more mysterious by the day

1 November

Litvinenko meets former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoy and an associate, Dmitry Kovtun at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair, on the same day as meeting Italian academic Mario Scaramella at sushi bar Itsu. Later, he complains of feeling ill and is admitted to Barnet General Hospital


20 November

The former spy is moved to intensive care at University College Hospital as Scotland Yard investigate


23 November

Litvinenko dies. It is confirmed the next day he had massive amounts of polonium-210 in his body


24 November

Radioactive traces are found at the hotel and restaurant visited by Litvinenko. His family issues a statement he compiled while in hospital in which he exhorts President Vladimir Putin: "May God forgive you for what you have done". The Kremlin dismissed allegations it was involved


26 November

NHS Direct say hundreds of people have called, worried about poisoning


27 November

Mr Scaramella arrives in Britain to be interviewed as a potential witness. Home Secretary John Reid confirms the Foreign Office has told Russian authorities they were expected to "offer all necessary co-operation"


29 November

Polonium-210 found at the Mayfair office of exiled Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky


30 November

Traces of polonium-210 have been found in 12 places, including on two BA planes at Heathrow


4 December

Nine British detective travel to Moscow as part of the investigation


1 December

Mr Scaramella tests positive for polonium-210. He is admitted to hospital but does not show symptoms of poisoning. Litvinenko's wife also tests positive for tiny amounts


6 December

Scotland Yard say they are now treating Litvinenko's death as murder. Radiation is found at the British embassy in Moscow. Mr Scaramella is discharged from hospital

7 December

Litvenko's funeral is held as tests of all seven staff working at the Millenium hotel on 1 November come back with positive traces of low levels of radiation. Russia opens an official inquiry into his murder as well as the attempted murder of Mr Kovtun, the associate he met on 1 November.

Lawyer denies Kovtun in critical condition

This is an early rendition of where the radiation was found. We know today the radiation was first found at Piccadilly and then all other locations. The significance of this map is not the accuracy to date of the locations of the radiation but the travels of the late Mr. Litvinenko.




ABC News: Andrey Lugovoy is Main Suspect for Litvinenko’s Poisoning

6 December 2006 08:46 FOCUS News Agency

Washington. The British investigators who are investigating the death of ex officer from the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) Alexande Litvinenko think that the main suspect in this case is the Russian businessman Alexander Lugovoy, NBC News reports. A source from the British cabinet who wished to remain anonymous claim that the main suspect in the case was also “Russian spy” and the Moscow authorities have started to invent different reasons in order to prevent a meeting between the British investigators and Lugovoy.According to the TV there were more data than ever that the Russian services are connected with Litvinenko’s death.


Russia launches probe as ex-spy is buried (click on)

...Mourners included emigre Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, a Putin critic and Litvinenko associate, and Akhmed Zakayev, London envoy for the Chechen separatist insurgency with whom Litvinenko had worked.

Zakayev and Litvinenko's father, Walter, had earlier said prayers for him at the Regent's Park Mosque in central London. Zakayev has said Litvinenko converted to Islam before his death though another associate said he was unaware of any conversion....

In the Polonium Poison Mystery, an Odd Italian Footnote

Mario Scaramella. A liar. A chronic lair. He reminds me of Abramoff.



Scaramella remains 'well' (click on)

Mario Scaramella, who has tested positive for the deadly radioactive substance polonium 210, continues to show no symptoms of poisoning, University College Hospital in London said.
A spokesman for the hospital said: "He remains well, the results of his pathology tests to date remain normal."

Scaramella was the first appointment of the day for Mr. Litvinenko in the sushi bar. He was at none of the others.

Sushi diners tested for poison (click on)

They include the Itsu bar, the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair, where Litvinenko met three Russians, and at the former KGB colonel’s North London home. Traces were also found at three offices in Mayfair, including that of Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky.

A book about Chechnya

Boris Berezovsky tells Altay journalist about murder of Anna Politkovskaya: Altay press digest (click on)

On October 16, the Bankfax web-site published the text of the interview of the head of the information department of Altay Pravda daily Sergey Teplyakov with Boris Berezovsky, who was actively bandied about in the Russian press last week following the charge that it was he who organized the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya:

- Let me read it to you. “Myths, slander and mud against both sides – against Politkovskaya and against those who the authorities will label as ‘her murderers.’ I have no doubts that your most humble servant will be among them. My relations with Politkovskaya were not simple, we often had conflicts, but I would like to say that the Russian society has lost one of its representatives in the elite of humanity. And we will continue losing them unless we protect them by open and mass civil protest against political terror in Russia.”

- Of course, I will benefit from revolution in Russia, but I can hardly destabilize the situation in the country as effectively as the Russian authorities are doing. I am taking most active steps but all of them are legal. I am doing really huge work to discredit the regime of Putin. The times when they laughed at me in Europe have gone. Now, I have no opponents there. I think that the government in Russia will be changed very soon.

And who is that with Boris?

Berezovsky Claims He Funded Yushchenko's Campaign

http://orangeukraine.squarespace.com/journal/2005/9/14/berezovsky-claims-he-funded-yushchenkos-campaign.html

Leonid Kravchuk declares that in case of confirmation of facts of financing the election campaign of the present President Victor Yushchenko by Boris Beresovsky, the impeachment procedure should be started.


UPDATE: Berezovsky acknowledges his financing of Yushchenko's election campaign (click on)
21:13
14/ 09/ 2005

KIEV, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky confirmed Wednesday that firms under his control had financed Viktor Yushchenko's presidential election campaign in Ukraine.

"Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk called me yesterday and told me that a Ukrainian Web site had posted copies of documents related to the transfer of funds from my companies to companies that directly financed Yushchenko's election campaign," Berezovsky said. "I called my accountants and found out that those documents indeed belonged to my companies, so I confirmed that fact in a later conversation with Kravchuk."

On Wednesday, Kravchuk told a news conference in Kiev that Berezovsky had financed Yushchenko's election campaign.

Berezovsky said he had never tried to conceal his support of Yushchenko or his people, especially in ideological terms.

Berezovsky also said he did not want to widen the split between Yushchenko and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by commenting on the situation.
"I do not want to worsen the conflict between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko," he said. "I believe these documents have been planted by Russian security-related services to make the conflict even worse."

"If you analyze who is happy about the conflict and who is deeply concerned about it, you will find out who really benefits from this situation," he said, adding that "enemies of the Orange Revolution were rejoicing over the split and its real supporters were gathering around Tymoshenko."

Who? What? Where? When ? How? and WHY?

The Millenium Hotel, London. Was this the actual place where the crime took place? Or was it earlier?



Izvestya claims Mr Nevzlin confirmed he recently met Mr Litvinenko, who gave him documents related to the Yukos case. It says in September 2004 Roman Tcepov, a security firm owner and friend of Vladimir Putin, was poisoned by radioactive material after being in contact with Mr Nevzlin, or his associates, also in relation to the Yukos scandal.

A break from our sponsor - Human Induced Global Warming

A recent picture of Yosemite National Park with a heat transfer system in the troposphere.

Now back to our regular programming.

Hm?

Men with lots of money.

Men that want a lot of power.

Hm?

Could they present Russia with a sovereignty issue when backed in their attempted political aspiration while killing people at will?

Perhaps.

But, given the authority of Russia do they actually have to kill them?

It would seem not.

Hm.

Then, what gives?

Believed to have ordered contract killings

...Russia has accused Nevzlin of fraud and contract hits. The 46-year-old Jewish Russian-born entrepreneur was one of the key shareholders in Yukos. In summer of 2003, after one of the company shareholders had been arrested, Nevzlin moved back to Israel. In those days Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office claimed it had no evidence of Nevzlin’s alleged wrongdoings but later more suspicious facts were unearthed....

...But soon afterwards the prosecutors said they suspected Nevzlin, who held charge of Yukos’ corporate security service, of masterminding attacks on lives of certain “disagreeable” individuals. A Yukos security officer charged with carrying out a contract hit and a murder attempt, allegedly on Nevzlin’s orders, [Alexei Pichugin] was later sentenced to twenty years in prison by a Moscow court....

The Un-Communists

YUKOS owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky (L) and Platon Lebedev, YUKOS main shareholder are seen in a Moscow court during its session, December 20, 2004. YUKOS is widely seen by analysts as the victim of a Kremlin campaign to crush its owner Khodorkovsky and seize control of strategic sectors of the economy sold off in the chaotic privatisations of the 1990s.



TAKING THE ASSETS OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE as the Soviet Union collapsed was not viewed as prudent to a stable government.

Khodorkovsky, Lebedev may face new charges - top prosecutor
17:03

05/ 12/ 2006

MOSCOW, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - Jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associate may face new charges, Russia's top prosecutor said Tuesday.

Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, both 43, were sentenced to eight years each for fraud and tax evasion in May 2005.

"It is possible that they may face new charges," Yury Chaika said, adding that it would only happen if there is sufficient evidence.

"Investigations into the main [Yukos] case are continuing," Chaika said. "Some of its numerous episodes are already in court."

Former Yukos security chief Alexei Pichugin was given 24 years in prison for carrying out two murders and organizing an attempted killing. (Assassinations in Moscow are not uncommon. There is vast corruption.)

Prosecutors continue to investigate suspected money laundering in the now bankrupt Yukos Oil Company [RTS: YUKO].

"We know one thing - the Prosecutor General's Office is continuing the pre-trial investigation into separate episodes," Lebedev's lawyer Yevgeny Baru said, adding that it was too early to speak of any new charges.

The prosecutors opened a new probe in the Yukos case in the summer of 2005.

"The question was raised last summer when we were presented with documents extending the deadline for the pre-trial investigation," another lawyer for Lebedev, Konstantin Rivkin, said.
In July 2005, prosecutors told defense lawyers that Lebedev and Khodorkovsky should be taken to a pre-trial detention center to face new charges, but no charges followed.

The players

Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky (R) stands in front of the Russian embassy in London, May 26, 2004. Russia's new prosecutor general said on Tuesday he would continue the Kremlin's long-running battle to extradite some of its most wanted men from Britain.



A year ago, Boris Berezovsky argued that once the authorities had won control over the media, they were bound to go after business. The so-called “YUKOS affair” has forcibly reminded us of this prediction. Sergei Stepashin, head of the Audit Chamber sharply criticized Roman Abramovich, a partner of YUKOS head Mikhail Khodorkovsky, calling Abramovich’s purchase of the British football club Chelsea a challenge to the country. At that same moment, Moscow Independent Broadcasting Corporation (MNVK), owned by Mr. Berezovsky, finally passed to new owners. This may have been just a coincidence. Boris Berezovsky tried to convince Kommersant correspondent Nataliya Gevorkyan that the authorities were acting systematically.

"It will take a long time to undo the damage"-

Do you think that Mr. Khodorkovsky will end up like you in London with suitcase in hand –

In the end, yes.–

And Mr. Nevzlin (Leonid Nevzlin, a major YUKOS shareholder) too?–

Even sooner.–

Well, if you’re right, then Mr. Putin is actually being consistent: if everyone is in London, then they’ll literally be equidistant. You said that by fall, Russian business would be forced to realize the need for joint action, since the authorities would inevitably try to take control of all finances in the state. Were you thinking of what’s happening to YUKOS now?

It's Saturday Night

Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac

If I could turn the page
In time then I'd rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldn't find a way
So I'll settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can't disguise
(You can't disguise, no you can't disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

Although I'm not making plans
I hope that you understand there's a reason why
Close your, close your, close your eyes

No more broken hearts
We're better off apart let's give it a try
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can't disguise
(You can't disguise, no you can't disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

If I could turn the page
In time then I'd rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldn't find a way
So I'll settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can't disguise
(You can't disguise, no you can't disguise)

Tell me liesTell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can't disguise
(You can't disguise, no you can't disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me, tell me lies)