March 13, 2018
By Bill Chappell
Nikolai Glushkov, (click here) a Russian exile who was a close friend of a noted critic of President Vladimir Putin, has died from an "unexplained" cause in London, police say. The Metropolitan Police says that its counterterrorism unit is handling the case "because of associations that the man is believed to have had."
Glushkov, 68, was a close friend of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who was found dead in 2013. At the time, an inquiry found he had hanged himself — but Glushkov publicly disputed the idea that his friend and former business ally would have killed himself.
As British media began reporting Glushkov's death, the police issued a statement saying, "An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough."...
This goes beyond projecting an image as a strong man to benefit a Russian election.
I think Putin is shaken. He is facing charges due to his order to destroy a commercial airliner. I am fairly confident there are Russians questioning other crashes that have occurred in Russia as well. In most instances, those domestic crashes have important people on them.
I would expect more of these executions/assassinations now that Putin is unglued. His reputation internationally has lost luster. He is a dangerous man. Something is brewing.
He was agitated in the recent interview with a US journalist. Putin portrays himself as a victim. He wants the Russian people to believe they are victims. With all that is wrong, including Crimea and Ukraine, Russians and Putin are hardly victims. It was not The West that doped Russian athletes. He is responsible for a lot of mischief and it is conducted under his presidency. The West would have to be very busy to drum up all the problems Putin's Russia is involved in.
He is aggitated/short tempered because it is not going his way.
The EU should consider giving Russian expats protections for now.
Deputy Director-General of Aeroflot and a Finance Manager of AvtoVAZ. ("cash cow to support international spying operations")
Dead men can't testify anywhere about anything.
The most recent domestic crash in Russia was with Saratov Airlines. (click here) The Russians weren't in no a hurry to clean it up. Granted it is winter in Russia, but, there was a slow response to the crash.
Saratov was a fairly successful airline until the Russian authorities stated it was worried about security breaches. The entire company was then limited to flights inside Russia. There simply is a lot of concerns about Russian aircraft including the downed jet in Egypt. I think there is a pattern Putin might be held responsible for now that he is facing the downing of a commercial jet.
I may be mistaken, but, I am fairly sure I read something about Saratov Airlines looking to return to international service. Putin would not see that as important because as far as he is concerned Russians belong in Russia and sanctions are not soon to be lifted. Pure speculation.
