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Mr Gordievsky, a former KGB station head in London, who still refers to the FSB by its former name, insisted that he did not know the identity of the Russian would-be killer. But he assumed that the man was a former associate of Boris Berezovsky, the former oligarch and Yeltsin confidant, who has been granted political asylum in Britain. "He used to be in Mr Berezovsky's entourage and was imprisoned in Moscow. Then suddenly he was released, and soon after that he became a businessman and a millionaire. It is all very suspicious. But the KGB has recruited agents in prisons and camps since the 1930s. That is how they work."
But he assumed that the man was a former associate of Boris Berezovsky, the former oligarch and Yeltsin confidant, who has been granted political asylum in Britain.
"He used to be in Mr Berezovsky's entourage and was imprisoned in Moscow. Then suddenly he was released, and soon after that he became a businessman and a millionaire. It is all very suspicious. But the KGB has recruited agents in prisons and camps since the 1930s. That is how they work."
As for cuo bono, theories seem to be, in order of significance: Kadyrov (last Politkovskaya's investigation was into where Chechnya reconstruction money are going); enemies of Kadyrov (as he is the one most likely to benefit); Nevzlyn or Berezovsky (provocation and misguided attempt to create Gongadze-II); "concerned" citizen (Politkovskaya was not an exactly popular journalist); Putin does not come up, primarily because he personally is not threatened at all by Politkovskaya.
The political theory has it that Politkovskaya's murder was ordered from abroad. We were the first to draw attention to this theory. A similar assumption was expressed by President Putin at a press conference in Dresden on October 10. Developments of this theory have mentioned the names of Boris Berezovsky and Leonid Nevzlin - the most prominent of the individuals Russia is trying to extradite. Both Berezovsky and Nevzlin will probably face extradition attempts for a long time to come, having to prove in foreign courts why they should not be returned to Russia. One of their primary objectives is to portray Russia as a state where people can get shot in the head for their pro-democracy convictions.
I did monitor carefully the Russian news the days after the assassination, I wanted to know how long it would take Putin to react. It took him a few days, until he just couldn't ignore it any more.
Why doesn't he just go get whomever is involved ? Wouldn't he have a lot to gain from appearing as restoring order and a semblance of justice in Russia ? Why does he never brings those thugs to justice ?
So I wouldn't bet he is a white knight there. He just has too tight a control on things there to be totally ignorant of what went on.
He just has too tight a control on things there to be totally ignorant of what went on.
Popular meme, but unfortunately, not supported by the facts. Russia is governed by the consensus of elites trying not to piss off the population much. Murder of an American journalist (sorry) troubles neither.
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