Comments on: Another Possible Kremlin Critic Poisoned?

By: Pyst

Pyst — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 05:50:11 +0000

Not so sure about that TinMan, it feels more like someone trying to cause problems for Putin than Putin taking care of “problems”.

Ricin would be easy to procure, thats why plutonium 210 as rare as it is makes this look very suspicious.

Even British intel thinks something about this doesn’t pass the KGB smell test.

By: Michael van der Galien

Michael van der Galien — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:28:17 +0000

I once read in a book that many Russians believe that the only effective political system for the country is that with a strong leader and a strong central government.

Also consider this: the heroes of the US were strong presidents / idealists: JFK, Lincoln, MLK and so on. the heroes of Russia? Dictators and ruthless men (and women).

By: TinMan6

TinMan6 — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:18:29 +0000

Is anyone else skeptical about the KGB knocking off someone so sloppily? Honestly, the KGB wouldn't kill someone like this where it takes over a week for them to die in such an obvious manner.

They have no problem eliminating someone in a slow manner. The odd part is the poor tradecraft. The Spy Who Billed me has been blogging about this. Intelligence insiders suggest it's a sign of the FSB (former KGB) suffering from the loss of quality personnel, much like the CIA has recently due to outsourcing. Check out: Oh the Good ol Days of Killer Umbrellas and Ricin Microcapsules! and Why You Should Never Use Your Shoe-Phone After Stepping In Polonium-210

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 17:07:30 +0000

The return of the evil empire. What else should we expect from the country that’s providing Iran with the means to make nuclear weapons?

By: grognard

grognard — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:50:37 +0000

Angry, yes the European need for energy gives Russia the winning hand in this game. Technologies to reduce fossil fuel dependence take time to implement, and Europe already has very high taxes to reduce demands on some fossil fuels, so I donâ€™t know how much farther they can go in the short term. The key to this problem will be the former Warsaw pact countries who view the rise of Russia with alarm. They know what Putin is all about and will be open to take the steps to impair Russian intelligence operations. Another key is the state of the Russian military and government, the top of the bureaucracy lives well but the rest is near poverty. That is an opening to infiltration and espionage. My feeling that this will become a behind the scenes game, both sides putting on a friendly public face but slugging it out in secret. I do hope that this incident will get Bush to have a more realistic of his friend, but considering past performance I donâ€™t hold out much hope.

By: Pyst

Pyst — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:30:49 +0000

Is anyone else skeptical about the KGB knocking off someone so sloppily? Honestly, the KGB wouldn’t kill someone like this where it takes over a week for them to die in such an obvious manner.

By: C.Prez

C.Prez — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:28:58 +0000

Damn Putin is Gangsta w/ his…yikes! Yeah my fellow Ruskies don’t play around. Also, anyone who thought The Bear was a Democracy doesn’t know the past 1000+ years of Russian history.

By: The Angry Independent

The Angry Independent — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:12:01 +0000

Russia never was a Democracy.

And it won’t be for quite some time, if ever.

I’ve always thought Post-Soviet Russia could not be trusted.
It’s another Rogue State just like North Korea…. although Russia parades as a Democracy. It is basically run by a gang of KGB thugs and hardline military folks.

Any European country that continues to allow Russian foreign service (Embassy) staff on its soil and also don’t consider a travel ban on most Russian nationals….is just asking for trouble.

Russia appears to be a country out of control.

The only way to correct this kind of recklessness is to use some levers…. such as travel limits, diplomatic/embassy limitations, and if necessary… consider Trade restrictions.

The problem with Trade restrictions is…. several European countries have made themselves slaves to Russia…because of the oil and gas that Russia supplies. Russia’s cutting off of gas supplies about a year ago apparently was not enough to scare the heck out of Europe…. Maybe this will finally wake them up and make them seek energy independence.

By: Lynx

Lynx — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 13:44:09 +0000

I’m going to allow myself a childish moment and mention that it seems rather James Bond for an emergency planning commitee to call itself “Cobra”.

On to the actual news, I had a thought. If this man was poisoned from his food, then it’s reasonable to assume that they put it in his sushi (being a sushi bar). It’s not at all uncommon in a sushi bar for a companion to take one piece to taste. Scaramella could have just taken one piece out of a poisoned board of sushi and therefore been partially poisoned.