Plot to Kill Russian Exile Thwarted

"I was advised by the police to leave the country if I could. I went overseas for a week and then the police informed me that I could return." He was asked by the authorities not to reveal the details of the plot.Berezovsky was told to leave the country between June 27 and July 4. Berezovsky stated on television that the warning by the London police had confirmed a similar one issued three months earlier by a Russian source."Someone who I know would come to London and ask to meet me, and he would kill me openly … and he would explain later that it was just business reasons," he said.

In July 2006, the Russian Duma (parliament), which is under President Vladimir Putin's control, passed a law authorizing the Russian president to use the secret services as "death squads" in order to eliminate "extremists," even on the foreign territory (Federal Law of 27 July 2006 N 153-F3).On the same day, the Duma amended another law that expands the definition of "extremism" in a way that includes anyone "libelously" critical of the Kremlin (Federal Law of 27 July 2006 N 148-F3)."A stage is set for any critic of Putin's regime here, especially those campaigning against Russian genocide in Chechnya, to have an appointment with a poison-tipped umbrella. According to the statement by the RF [Russian Federation] defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, the black list of potential targets is already composed," wrote Vladimir Bukovsky and Oleg Gordievsky in a letter to the London Times on July 11. Read full story

The Mysterious Mario Scaramella

Last month, Mario Scaramella came to international prominence as he happened to be the last man to meet the ex-KGB colonel Alexander Litvinenko before he became ill from polonium poisoning. Litvinenko died on Nov. 23.Scaramella has been described in the media as an Italian lawyer, academic and international security consultant. Professor Mario Scaramella has an impressive resume. Despite his young age, he is said to have taught in prestigious institutions around the globe. He claims to be an expert in nuclear weapons and nuclear waste. Last but not least, he possesses a deep understanding of KGB activities during the Cold War and has advised several agencies on counter-intelligences issues.

While working as a consultant for the Mitrokhin Commission, which investigated KGB activities in Italy, he met Litvinenko, who reportedly told him that current Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was the KGB's top man in Italy. On Nov. 1, he met Litvinenko in London to warn him that he had received a couple of emails revealing, among other things, that their names figured on a Russian hit list. There is just one problem. On closer look, all of his credentials and all of his allegations happen to be unsubstantiated. Read full story

Former Russian Prime Minister Poisoned

"Doctors don't see a natural reason for the poisoning and they have not been able to detect any natural substance known to them" in Gaidar's body, said spokesman Valery Natarov. "So obviously we're talking about poisoning and it was not natural poisoning." Last week, during a visit to Ireland to promote his book ("The Death of Empire: Lessons for Contemporary Russia"), Mr Gaidar suddenly became gravely ill. On Friday, he began vomiting and fainted during a conference. He was first treated in intensive care in Dublin and then flown to Moscow, where he is recovering in a hospital."I went up to him. He was lying on the floor unconscious. There was blood coming from his nose, he was vomiting blood. This went on for more than half an hour," his daughter said. Read full story

The Litvinenko Affair

On Nov. 1, the day he felt ill, Litvinenko met Scaramella at the Itsu sushi restaurant in Piccadilly. Scaramella is an Italian academic and security expert. He is a consultant for the Guzzanti Commission which investigates Soviet infiltration during the Cold War. He is known to have contact with top officers of the FSB and is rumored to work for Italian, U.S. and Colombian Intelligence agencies. According to the police, checks of the restaurant are completed.The police are still searching the Pine Bar and fourth floor rooms at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square. On Nov. 1, prior to his meeting with Scaramella, Litvinenko met two Russian citizens. Andrei Lugovoi is a former KGB agent and currently runs a private security firm in Moscow. He was accompanied by Dmitry Kovtun. Read full story

Russia Strongly Denies Poisoning Ex-Spy

In a statement dictated just days before his death and read by his friend Alex Goldfarb on Friday, Litvinenko pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "You have shown yourself to have no respect for life, liberty or any civilized value. You may succeed in silencing one man. But a howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May God forgive you for what you have done.""It was obviously sanctioned [by the Kremlin]," said Oleg Gordievsky, the most senior KGB officer to defect to Britain. "He was such an obvious enemy. Only the KGB is able to do this." Read full story

Was Romano Prodi the Top KGB Man in Italy?

On April 3, 2006, a British Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Gerard Batten, cited allegations by Alexander Litvinenko that Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and currently Italy Prime Minister, had been the KGB's top man in Italy. While planning his escape from Russia, Litvinenko sought the advice of his boss and long time trusted friend, General Anatoly Trofimov. Batten told the European Parliament that Trofimov advised Litvinenko not to go to Italy because it was a KGB stronghold. "Don't go to Italy, there are many KGB agents among the politicians: Romano Prodi is our man there," General Trofimov told Mr Litvinenko. Trofimov was shot dead in Moscow in 2005.According to the EU Reporter, on April 3, 2006, "another high-level source, a former KGB operative in London, has confirmed the story." Read full story