by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 23, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

old War-type espionage hit the headlines in Nov. 2006 when 43-year-old former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned at a London sushi bar with polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope easily accessible from one of Russia's nuclear reactors. Litvinenko was investigating the death of the celebrated 48-year-old Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, gunned down Oct. 6, 2006 in her Moscow apartment. Politkovskaya criticized President Vladimir V. Putin for his brutal campaign in Chechnya. Before Litvinenko's death Nov. 24, security expert Mario Scaramella provided evidence of Putin's involvement in the murder of Politkovskaya. British Prime Minister Tony Blair promised that Scotland Yard would solve the murder. Six months later, British authorities fingered former FSB agent and Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoy as the prime suspect.

      Russia's constitution forbids extradition, throwing cold water on Russian-U.K. relations. “We believe . . . it is through abiding by international obligations that people have the confidence in terms of whether its investment, or just normal relations. I'm sure Russia is as aware of that as we are,” said Blair, pressuring Putin to abide by international law and extradite the Lugovoy. Without some responsible gesture, U.K.-Russian relations could be severely damaged. Exiled media oligarch Boris Berezovsky, former head of Russia's last independent TV network NTV living in London, said Putin would not cooperate. “Russian President Vladimir Putin's government will never allow the extradition of Lugovoy,” Berezovsky told BBC radio. Dismantling Russia's free press shortly after taking office in May 7, 2000, Putin and the Kremlin control Russia's newspapers and airwaves.

      Calling the murder “barbaric and ruthless,” Litvinenko blamed Putin on his deathbed. Turning Lugovoy over to Scotland Yard risks exposing the chain-of-command leading to Putin and the Kremlin. Putin called any link to the Kremlin “preposterous,” labeling accusations “political provocation.” Allowing Scotland Yard to do its job would expose Lugovoy's relationship to Russian authorities. Asked by Reuters whether he murdered Litvinenko, Lugovoy equivocated. “Of course I consider myself not guilty,” said Lugovoy. “I am not saying anything else. Of course I am not guilty,” denying that he had anything to do with Litvinenko's murder. Whether Lugovoy “considers” himself guilty carries little weight with Scotland Yard that has compelling evidence against the former FSB [Federal Security Service, the former KGB] agent and current Moscow businessman.

      Since Putin took office in 2000, the late Russian President Boris Yeltsin's free market reforms reverted back to the old Soviet days of Kremlin control. Putin's first official duty was dismantling the free press and returning Russia's major industries to Kremlin control. Putin's close alliance with Iran and Syria provides much of the armaments to insurgents and terrorists battling U.S. occupation in Iraq. Putin hasn't forgotten the early ‘80s when the U.S. paid Osama bin Laden to fight Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. President George W. Bush saw a kindred spirit when he looked into Putin's eyes. What he really saw was a cold-blooded ex-KGB agent who knows how to play the Cold War spy game. As Russia fights its proxy war in Iraq through Iran and Syria, Putin has found a way to pay back the U.S. for Afghanistan. Putin believes the U.S. has too much global power.

      Putin's reluctance to cooperate with Scotland Yard demonstrates the same paranoia leading the Kremlin to find any way to challenge U.S. power. Supplying arms to rogue countries in the Middle East allows terrorists to fight a proxy war against expanding U.S. influence. Paying Lugovoy to murder Litvinenko kept Putin and the Kremlin from taking responsibility for murdering Russia's most celebrated journalist, Anna Polititkovskaya. Politkovskaya's death continued Putin's reign of terror against free-thinking journalists and Russia's free press. “The latest developments represent yet another blow to Russia's relations with the West,” said Yaroslav Lissovolk, a Russian analyst at Deutsche UPB. Putin will offer no help to Scotland Yard to solve Litvinenko's death, precisely because all leads go to the Kremlin. Putin's actions harm relations with the U.K. and the West.

      Covering up Litvinenko's death reveals the extremes to which Putin will go to protect the Kremlin. Whether he's silencing dissidents in Russia or the U.K. or fighting proxy wars in Afhghanistan or Iraq, Putin continues his camouflaged totalitarian takeover. U.S. authorities must do more to counter Russia's disguised support for rogue regimes and terrorists committed to countering American power. “While Russia's relations with the U.K. had already cooled in recent years . . . the latest round of the Litvinenko affair is bound to make matters even worse,” said Lissovolk, measuring the consequences to Putin's reluctance to cooperate with British authorities. Instead of welcoming Russia into the G-8, Putin must understand the consequences of rolling back the clock. Pretending that Putin shares Western values and ambitions promotes a dangerous illusion.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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