The poisoning of former KGB officer and Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in London has sent shockwaves through the world. The shocking, drawn-out, and very public death evokes images of the dark days of the Cold War when enemies of the state were ruthlessly dispatched. The Litvinenko killing is eerily reminiscent of the killing of Bulgarian dissident, Georgi Markov, who was killed by a ricin-tipped umbrella point . Litvinenko was likely deliberately poisoned with a rare radioactive substance, Polonium-210. That Litvinenko, a dissident and critic of the Putin regime, made a deathbed accusation against the Kremlin and the Putin government has focused a great deal of attention on the Russian government.
Although an official inquest into Litvinenko?s death has been authorized and an autopsy has yet to be conducted, police are treating his death as suspicious rather than murder. In addition, British officials are calling for calm and urging caution on making any accusations until all the facts are in. They have acknowledged that it is possible that Litvinenko poisoned himself, and the Russian government has denied any involvement in Litvinenko?s death. They claim that other forces are trying to make President Putin look bad especially before important international events. For example, the murder of Kremlin critic and investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya occurred prior to an official trip to Germany, and the Litvinenko poisoning and death has unfolded shortly before a Russia-EU summit.
It is also a common tactic by the Russian government to claim any atrocity or mysterious killings are meant to make the Russian government look bad. And indeed they do, although the theory that these killing are meant to embarrass the Kremlin may have some merit in terms of coincidental timing. Skeptics wonder why Putin would risk the negative publicity. However, a confluence of factors also point toward, if not the Kremlin or high level Putin regime directly, at least murky factions within the government. Theories run the gamut from senior security and military officials displeased with Putin?s running of Russia to opposing Kremlin factions seeking power in 2008.
Targeted assassinations have not gone out of style. These killings have increased in Russia . In the early 1990s, organized crime elements were behind many of these killings, but with the latest resurgence, it is difficult to identify who is behind them. However, most of the killings involved brutal and basic assassinations mostly in the form of shootings. These killings could certainly have been contracted out. The Litvinenko killing seems far more sophisticated, considering the material used, and is likely to have been orchestrated by an organization with a lot of resources. This leads to fingerpointing at a government entity. In addition, Presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko of the Ukraine , who the Kremlin most definitely did not want elected, was severely poisoned?although not killed–by dioxin during the election .
The commonality to these killing and attempted killings is that critics or enemies of the state are targeted. Litvinenko was allegedly investigating Politkovskaya?s death and the Russian oil company Yukos. Notably, Anna Politkovskaya may have survived an assassination attempt by poisoning. However, Litvinenko has also been known to make some harsh accusations against the Russian security services and government that bordered on conspiracy theories. The sophistication of his targeting seems to indicate that certain forces were taking him very seriously and saw him as a real threat. It may take some time before more details on Litvinenko?s death come to light, and British authorities are right to be cautious. Russia?s reputation is quickly diminishing over these killings. President Putin will likely keep
mentioning that enemies of the state are trying to destabilize Russia and its image, but something from within is already doing this.
