Quote:Since the day of Donald Trump's election, high-ranking Russian officials have been dropping like flies and today's reports that a top official of Russia's space agency has been found dead brings the total to eight.

As we noted previously, six Russian diplomats have died in the last 3 months - all but one died on foreign soil. Some were shot, while other causes of death are unknown. Note that a few deaths have been labeled "heart attacks" or "brief illnesses."

1. You probably remember Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov he was assassinated by a police officer at a photo exhibit in Ankara on December 19.

2. On the same day, another diplomat, Peter Polshikov, was shot dead in his Moscow apartment. The gun was found under the bathroom sink but the circumstances of the death were under investigation. Polshikov served as a senior figure in the Latin American department of the Foreign Ministry.

3. Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died in New York this past week. Churkin was rushed to the hospital from his office at Russia's UN mission. Initial reports said he suffered a heart attack, and the medical examiner is investigating the death, according to CBS.

4. Russia's Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, died after a "brief illness January 27, which The Hindu said he had been suffering from for a few weeks.

5. Russian Consul in Athens, Greece, Andrei Malanin, was found dead in his apartment January 9. A Greek police official said there was "no evidence of a break-in." But Malanin lived on a heavily guarded street. The cause of death needed further investigation, per an AFP report. Malanin served during a time of easing relations between Greece and Russia when Greece was increasingly critiqued by the EU and NATO.

6. Ex-KGB chief Oleg Erovinkin, who was suspected of helping draft the Trump dossier, was found dead in the back of his car December 26, according to The Telegraph. Erovinkin also was an aide to former deputy prime minister Igor Sechin, who now heads up state-owned Rosneft.

If we go back further than 3 months...

7. On the morning of U.S. Election Day, Russian diplomat Sergei Krivov was found unconscious at the Russian Consulate in New York and died on the scene. Initial reports said Krivov fell from the roof and had blunt force injuries, but Russian officials said he died from a heart attack. BuzzFeed reports Krivov may have been a Consular Duty Commander, which would have put him in charge of preventing sabotage or espionage.

8. In November 2015, a senior adviser to Putin, Mikhail Lesin, who was also the founder of the media company RT, was found dead in a Washington hotel room according to the NYT. The Russian media said it was a "heart attack," but the medical examiner said it was "blunt force injuries."

9. If you go back a few months prior in September 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin's driver was killed too in a freak car accident while driving the Russian President's official black BMW to add to the insanity.

If you include these three additional deaths that's a total of nine Russian officials that have died over the past 2 years... until today...

As AP reports, a top official of Russia's space agency has been found dead in a prison where he was being held on charges of embezzlement.

A spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee, Yulia Ivanova, told the state news agency RIA Novosti that the 11 other people in Vladimir Evdokimov's cell were being questioned.

Investigators found two stab wounds on Evdokimov's body, but no determination had been made of whether they were self-inflicted.

Evdokimov, 56, was the executive director for quality control at Roscosmos, the country's spaceflight and research agency.

He was jailed in December on charges of embezzling 200 million rubles ($3.1 million) from the MiG aerospace company.

So, while motive is unclear in all of these cases, that brings the total number of dead Russian officials in the past two years to ten. Probably nothing...

Tracy Riddle Wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ukranian-businesman-russia-and-donald-trump-dies-michael-cohen-michael-flynn-donald-trump-vladimir-a7612866.html
Ukranian businessman with links to Donald Trump and Russia dies in unexplained circumstances

[FONT=&amp]Alex Oronov, who had family ties to President's lawyer, reportedly organised meeting aimed at helping give Russian President control of Crimea[/FONT]

• Rachel Roberts
  
• Monday 6 March 2017 08:58 GMT
  

Mr Trump's links with Russia have caused a great deal of controversy AFP / Getty Images / Mandel Ngan[FONT=&amp]A Ukranian-born millionaire businessman with links to Donald Trump has reportedly died in unexplained circumstances.[/FONT]


[FONT=&amp]Alex Oronov, a 69-year-old naturalised American citizen who ran an agricultural business in his native Ukraine, died on 2 March, according to a Facebook post by Ukranian politician Andrii Artemenko.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Mr Oronov is reported to have set up a secret meeting between Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen to whom he had family ties - and Russian officials where a "peace plan" is said to have been hatched to give Russian President Vladimir Putin control of the Crimea. [/FONT]



[FONT=&amp]Mr Cohen is understood to have an extensive network of personal and business relationships in the Ukranian-American community and his associates included Mr Oronov, a partner in the ethanol business the lawyer's brother, Bryan, set up in Ukraine.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The "peace plan" meeting brought together Mr Artemenko, Mr Cohen and Felix Sater, an American-Russian long-time business associate of Mr Trump who is reported to have ties to the Russian mafia.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Details of this meeting are believed to have ended up on the desk of Michael Flynn, Mr Trump's former security adviser who was forced to resign last month over his alleged secret dealings with Russian officials.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The New York Times which Mr Trump has repeatedly accused of producing "fake news" - reported the meeting between Mr Artemenko, Mr Cohen and Mr Slater. [/FONT]

[URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russian-ambassador-un-vitaly-churkin-dead-diplomat-dies-suddenly-new-york-puton-a7590366.html"]
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[FONT=&amp]In his lengthy Facebook post, Mr Artemenko describes himself as a pawn in a diplomatic game and said the stress created by the article and the negative attention that followed the article was too much for Mr Oronov.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The post, written in Russian, translates loosely: "Yes, I'm guilty... Alex Oronov, my partner, my friend, my mentor, Alex was a family member of Michael Cohen. And he organised all kinds of stuff, including an introduction and a meeting for me with Michael Cohen."[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]It adds: "Unfortunately, his heart could not endure it. He died... Friend, your death will not have been in vain, nor will the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukranians and Russians, Alex Oronov, during this wild, undeclared war! Rest in peace and forgive me if you can, as difficult as that may be!"[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The Ukrainian MP points the finger of blame at "overexertion, the nerves, from injustice, from suspicion, from sorrow of misunderstanding".[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The remembrance website legacy.com has a listing for Alex Oronov of New York, with dates that match those of the businessman.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]One friend and business associate has so far left a tribute on the site, which reads: "Alex had a huge heart and he did a lot for those who were part of his family and part of his company."[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Conspiracy theorists have pointed to a number of recent deaths of Russian diplomats in the past four months.[/FONT]

[URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-diplomats-deaths-theories-putin-kremlin-a7602201.html"]
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[FONT=&amp]Russia's permanent ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, died last month in New York after suddenly becoming ill on his way to work the day before his 65th birthday.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]It was initially reported he had suffered a heart attack but an autopsy proved inconclusive.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The Russian Consul in Athens, Andrei Malanin, 55, was found dead on the floor of his apartment in Greece in January. Greek police said there was no evidence of a break-in and he was believed to have died of natural causes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Russia's Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, 67, was reported to have died of heart failure in January after a "brief illness" according to Indian media.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Russian diplomat Sergei Krivov, 63, was found unconscious having suffered severe head injuries at the Russian consulate in New York on US election day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]According to BuzzFeed, Mr Krivov was initially said to have fallen to his death following a suspected heart attack, but a subsequent report from medical examiners was inconclusive.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Mr Krivov is believed to have been responsible for the security of the consul from American intelligence, although he was initially said to have been "a security guard".[/FONT]
[URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-diplomat-found-dead-moscow-before-ambassador-turkey-assassin-andrei-karlov-a7486546.html"]
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[FONT=&amp]The Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated in Ankara by a policeman at a photography exhibition on 19 December and another diplomat, Peter Polshikov, was shot dead in his Moscow apartment on the same day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Former KGB chief Oleg Erovinkin, who was suspected of helping British spy Christopher Steele draft a dossier on Donald Trump, was found dead in the back of his car last Boxing Day. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Mr Erovinkin was also an aide to former deputy prime minister Igor Sechin, who now heads up state-owned oil company Rosneft and is said to have been named in the dossier.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]His death was initially reported as a suspected murder but officials later claimed he had died of a heart attack.[/FONT]

Quote:Alex Oronov, who had family ties to President's lawyer, reportedly organised meeting aimed at helping give Russian President control of Crimea

Lauren Johnson Wrote:

Quote:Alex Oronov, who had family ties to President's lawyer, reportedly organised meeting aimed at helping give Russian President control of Crimea

This statement needs a lot of unpacking. What does he mean?

Tracy Riddle Wrote:

Lauren Johnson Wrote:

Quote:Alex Oronov, who had family ties to President's lawyer, reportedly organised meeting aimed at helping give Russian President control of Crimea

This statement needs a lot of unpacking. What does he mean?

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-russia-ukraine-peace-plan-2017-2

• Natasha Bertrand
  

• Feb. 21, 2017, 11:17 AM
  

Michael Cohen, an attorney for Donald Trump, arrives in Trump Tower on December 16. Richard Drew/AP
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was at the center of a bombshellNew York Times reportpublished Sunday that said he hand-delivered a "peace plan for Russia and Ukraine" to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn before Flynn was asked to resign.
The plan which The Times said was pushed by Cohen, businessman Felix Sater, and Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Artemenko involved lifting sanctions on Russia in return for Moscow withdrawing its support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine, according to the report. It would also allow Russia to maintain control over Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Hours after the Times story was published, however, Cohen told The Washington Post that he hadn't delivered the peace plan to Flynn nor discussed it with anyone in the White House.
In an interview with The Post, Cohen corroborated The Times' reporting that he had met with Sater and Artemenko in a hotel lobby on Park Avenue in Manhattan in late January to discuss the proposal. He said that the meeting lasted less than 15 minutes and that he left with the plan in hand.
However, he "emphatically" denied "discussing this topic or delivering any documents to the White House and/or General Flynn," adding that he told Artemenko that he could "send the proposal to Flynn by writing him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.," The Post reported.
Cohen shifted his story again on Monday, telling Business Insider in a series of text messages that he denies "even knowing what the plan is." But he said in a later message that he met with Artemenko in New York for "under 10 minutes" to discuss a proposal that Artemenko said "was acknowledged by Russian authorities that would create world peace."
"My response was, 'Who doesn't want world peace?'" Cohen said.
One of the Times reporters who broke the peace-plan story, Scott Shane, pointed Business Insider to a statement the newspaper's deputy managing editor gave on Sunday: "Mr. Cohen told The Times in no uncertain terms that he delivered the Ukraine proposal to Michael Flynn's office at the White House. Mr. Sater told the Times that Mr. Cohen had told him the same thing."
Cohen then appeared to alter his story again, telling NBC News that even if he had taken an envelope with a peace plan to the White House, "So what? What's wrong with that?"
Stephanie Keith/Reuters
Sater, a businessman of Russian descent who has boasted of his relationship with President Donald Trump, told The Post in May that he "handled all of the negotiations" for the Trump Organization's dealings in Russia in the mid-2000s. Trump has distanced himself from Sater, saying in sworn testimony as part of a 2013 lawsuit that "if he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like."
Sater told The Post that he thought Cohen was going to deliver the plan to Flynn but that Cohen had to wait because Flynn was in the middle of a Russia-related firestorm.
Cohen was named as a "liaison" between Trump and the Kremlin in the explosive, unsubstantiated dossier that surfaced last month, a summary of which had been presented by top US intelligence officials to Trump.
Sater was "not practicing diplomacy" in pushing the plan, which he entertained only because he "wanted to promote peace," he told Fox Newson Monday. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Artemenko, who met with Trump's campaign during the election, was also involved in drafting the proposal. Artemenko told The Times he had evidence of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's corruption that could lead to his ouster.
Poroshenko has been locked in a war with pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine since he took power in 2014. He is considered friendlier to the West than his ousted predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych's political rise was heavily aided by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who worked as an adviser on Yanukovych's presidential campaign.
Cohen called the reporting surrounding the meeting "#fakenews." He said he stands by his story that he didn't do anything with the plan.
"Change your fake story or lose my number," Cohen said. "I have no time for Trump haters."

EVAN VUCCI/AP/FILE

Former national security adviser Mike Flynn in February.
By Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima THE WASHINGTON POST MARCH 30, 2017
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has offered to cooperate with congressional investigators in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a suggestion that has been met with initial skepticism, according to people familiar with the matter.
"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit,'' Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner, said in a statement Thursday evening. Out of respect for the committees, we will not comment right now on the details of discussions between counsel for General Flynn and the House and Senate intelligence committees, other than to confirm that those discussions have taken place. But it is important to acknowledge the circumstances in which those discussions are occurring.''
The committees are both looking into whether any associates of Donald Trump may have coordinated with agents of the Russian government seeking to meddle in last year's presidential election. The FBI is also investigating. The Trump administration has denied any such coordination.
The offer by Flynn's lawyer was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Flynn's overture seemed to have been aimed principally at the Senate committee, as Democrats on the House committee said they had not received word of an offer of testimony for immunity.




Officials said the idea of immunity for Flynn - who is considered a central figure in the probes because of his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States - was a non-starter,'' particularly at such an early stage of the investigations. A wide-ranging grant of immunity could protect Flynn from potential future charges from the Justice Department, but Congress has the power to grant only limited testimonial'' immunity, which means prosecutors cannot use witnesses' testimony against them in any prosecution. Ultimately, it is Justice's decision whether to grant immunity from prosecution for any underlying conduct that is discussed, or other matters that don't come up in testimony.
[URL="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/03/27/for-trump-russia-won-away/KqeHEcpN6tfx2LW9elq6IK/story.html?p1=Article_Related_Box_Article"] View Story



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• Read the statement of Mike Flynn's lawyer
  

It is not unheard of for potential congressional witnesses to seek immunity in exchange for testimony. During the Obama administration, former IRS official Lois Lerner sought immunity for her testimony to Congress, which was investigating how she and other officials scrutinized conservative groups. The FBI was also investigating the matter at the time. The committee declined to grant her immunity, and she was still called to testify at a hearing, in which she repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right to protect herself against self-incrimination.
Flynn's attorney said his client, a decorated former general, was now the subject of unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo.''
The lawyer added: No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.''
Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor and an assistant special counsel in the prosecution of I. Lewis Scooter'' Libby, said that the Senate committee apparently did not want to screw up a possible prosecution.''
But, he added, there may be things more important than getting a prosecution of Flynn.'' Such as learning the extent of contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials. That is a compelling and urgent need. A prosecution of Flynn could take several years. I wouldn't want them to wait that long to find out what Flynn knows.''