Russia was tracking killers of Alexander Litvinenko but UK warned it off'

[Peter Lemkin]

WikiLeaks cables: Russia 'was tracking killers of Alexander Litvinenko but UK warned it off' [This one has many implications on multiple levels and multiple countries!]...

Claim that British intelligence was incompetent will deepen diplomatic row sparked by move to deport MP's Russian researcher

Jamie Doward and Emily Dyer
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 11 December 2010 21.30 GMT

Alexander Litvinenko, in intensive care shortly before his death from poisoning at University College Hospital, London, in 2006. Photograph: Natasja Weitsz/Getty Images

Russia was tracking the assassins of dissident spy Alexander Litvinenko before he was poisoned but was warned off by Britain, which said the situation was "under control", according to claims made in a leaked US diplomatic cable.

The secret memo, recording a 2006 meeting between an ex-CIA bureau chief and a former KGB officer, is set to reignite the diplomatic row surrounding Litvinenko's unsolved murder that year, which many espionage experts have linked directly to the Kremlin.

The latest WikiLeaks release comes after relations between Moscow and London soured as a result of Britain's decision to expel a Russian parliamentary researcher suspected of being a spy.

The memo, written by staff at the US embassy in Paris, records "an amicable 7 December dinner meeting with ambassador-at-large Henry Crumpton [and] Russian special presidential representative Anatoliy Safonov", two weeks after Litvinenko's death from polonium poisoning had triggered an international hunt for his killers.

During the dinner, Crumpton, who ran the CIA's Afghanistan operations before becoming the US ambassador for counter-terrorism, and Safonov, an ex-KGB colonel-general, discussed ways the two countries could work together to tackle terrorism. The memo records that "Safonov opened the meeting by expressing his appreciation for US/Russian co-operative efforts thus far. He cited the recent events in London – specifically the murder of a former Russian spy by exposure to radioactive agents – as evidence of how great the threat remained and how much more there was to do on the co-operative front."

The memo contains an observation from US embassy officials that Safonov's comments suggested Russia "was not involved in the killing, although Safonov did not offer any further explanation".

Later the memo records that Safonov claimed that "Russian authorities in London had known about and followed individuals moving radioactive substances into the city but were told by the British that they were under control before the poisoning took place".

The claim will be rejected in many quarters as a clumsy attempt by Moscow to deflect accusations that its agents were involved in the assassination.

Russia says it had nothing to do with the murder, but espionage experts claim the killing would not have been possible without Kremlin backing. Shortly before he died, Litvinenko said he had met two former KGB agents, Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi, on the day he fell ill. Both men deny wrongdoing, but Britain has made a formal request for Lugovoi's extradition following a recommendation by the director of public prosecutions.

New evidence linking Russia with the death of Litvinenko was recently produced by his widow, Marina, who procured documents allegedly showing the FSB security service seized a container of polonium in the weeks before the poisoning. Moscow disputes the claims.

The allegation that British authorities were monitoring the assassins' progress through London is likely to raise questions about whether Litvinenko was warned his life may have been at risk in the days before he was murdered.

Several people familiar with the affair said they thought Safonov's claims implausible, with one saying he had never heard it aired within London intelligence circles before. Nevertheless Safonov's remarks – in effect questioning the competence of Britain's security services – will do little to heal the relationship between London and Moscow.

The claims come after Britain announced that Katia Zatuliveter, a 25-year-old Russian working for the Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, is to be deported amid suspicions she was spying for the Kremlin, a charge she plans to contest.

Alexander Sternik, chargé d'affaires at Russia's embassy in London, hinted that the deportation could trigger tit-for-tat expulsions and denounced the move as a "PR stunt" designed to mask Britain's own problems. "These problems are many over the last couple of months," Sternik said. "You can cite the unflattering leaks from WikiLeaks and [England's] unsuccessful [World Cup] bid."

The Paris embassy memo also shines new light on relations between Washington and Moscow. Henry Crumpton reportedly gained almost mythical status after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has been identified in the US media as a CIA agent quoted in the 11 September commission report as unsuccessfully pressing the agency to do more in Afghanistan to combat Osama bin Laden.

Safonov was once tipped to take the top job at the federal security service after the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, dismissed its incumbent.

[Jan Klimkowski]

Crumpton and Safonov, eh?

CIA and KGB, dining amicably.

Shall we dance? :dancing:

The memo, written by staff at the US embassy in Paris, records "an amicable 7 December dinner meeting with ambassador-at-large Henry Crumpton [and] Russian special presidential representative Anatoliy Safonov", two weeks after Litvinenko's death from polonium poisoning had triggered an international hunt for his killers.

During the dinner, Crumpton, who ran the CIA's Afghanistan operations before becoming the US ambassador for counter-terrorism, and Safonov, an ex-KGB colonel-general, discussed ways the two countries could work together to tackle terrorism.

(snip)

The Paris embassy memo also shines new light on relations between Washington and Moscow. Henry Crumpton reportedly gained almost mythical status after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has been identified in the US media as a CIA agent quoted in the 11 September commission report as unsuccessfully pressing the agency to do more in Afghanistan to combat Osama bin Laden.

Safonov was once tipped to take the top job at the federal security service after the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, dismissed its incumbent.

[Albert Doyle]

It's amazing how gas and oil contracts can make an investigation disappear. I guess that's what the Orwells call "diplomacy". When Litvinenko's ghost haunts Parliament it will have it's own eerie radioactive glow...

[Peter Lemkin]

It's amazing how gas and oil contracts can make an investigation disappear. I guess that's what the Orwells call "diplomacy". When Litvinenko's ghost haunts Parliament it will have it's own eerie radioactive glow...

Cynical people in power consider two [or one] thing: money and power, money and power...all else is collateral...by their own terminology.

[David Guyatt]

Not entirely on topic -- but not entirely off topic either.

However, I'm always a bit hesitant when it comes to an MSM journalist using caveats to protect themselves in case the facts later prove wrong. It usually means they not conducted a proper due diligence investigation themselves and are simply reporting a report.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12082742

Germany investigates 'poisoning' of Russian dissidents


Viktor and Marina Kalashnikov believe Moscow is behind a poisoning bid

German prosecutors are investigating whether two Russian dissidents living in Berlin have been poisoned.

Earlier this month, the German weekly Focus reported that doctors had detected high levels of mercury in the blood of Viktor and Marina Kalashnikov.

He was a former colonel in the KGB while she is a historian and both have been critical of the Kremlin.

In 2006, former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko was murdered by radioactive poisoning in London.

British investigators suspect former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi is behind his murder.

A spokesman for the public prosecutors' office in Berlin confirmed that an investigation had been opened into whether the Kalashnikovs have been deliberately poisoned.

"It is being carried out by a department dealing with politically motivated crimes," the spokesman told AFP news agency.

Health problems
Viktor Kalashnikov is reported to have worked for the KGB in Brussels and Vienna before joining Boris Yeltsin's research staff.

Since the late 1990s both he and his wife have worked as freelance journalists and commentators.

In recent years they have been moving around Europe, including Ukraine, Poland and Estonia.

The Times reported that they started experiencing strange health problems - their skin burnt and they would be seized by bouts of restlessness, blinding headaches and sudden pains in the spine.

In October this year, in a Berlin hotel room "we went sort of crazy," Marina Kalashnikov told the newspaper, "wandering feverishly around all night, unable to concentrate".

The couple then had tests at Berlin's Charite hospital. These reportedly revealed 53.7 microgrammes of mercury per litre in Viktor's blood, and 56 in Marina's.

The usual level is around one to three microgrammes per litre.

Mr Kalashnikov has lost a lot of weight in recent months and medical experts have reportedly recommended that the couple undergo further tests and be watched closely.

[Carsten Wiethoff]

From the Beep:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20715187

Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko was working for the British secret service when he was poisoned in November 2006, a legal review has heard.
The court was told that Mr Litvinenko was paid by MI6 and was working alongside Spanish spies in the days before his death.
British government documents which implied that Russia was behind the 43-year old's murder were also revealed.

Not heard for the first time, but first official confirmation, as far as I know.

[Peter Lemkin]

From the Beep:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20715187

Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko was working for the British secret service when he was poisoned in November 2006, a legal review has heard.
The court was told that Mr Litvinenko was paid by MI6 and was working alongside Spanish spies in the days before his death.
British government documents which implied that Russia was behind the 43-year old's murder were also revealed.

Not heard for the first time, but first official confirmation, as far as I know.

Well, it is 'official', but watch...it will be denied....

[Jan Klimkowski]

Murkier and murkier.

Naturally.

Litvinenko inquest: newspapers launch challenge over withholding of evidence

Media groups including Guardian will challenge government over attempt to conceal sensitive documents

Luke Harding
guardian.co.uk, Monday 25 February 2013 14.27 GMT

Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Litvinenko pictured shortly before his death in 2006. Photograph: Natasja Weitsz/Getty Images

Media groups will on Tuesday challenge what they describe as a "deeply troubling" attempt by the government to withhold evidence from the inquest into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

The Guardian, the BBC, the Financial Times and other newspapers are challenging a submission by the foreign secretary, William Hague, to conceal sensitive documents. Hague argues the material could harm "national security", as well as the UK's "international relations".

The government has refused to say what evidence it wants to hide. But it is likely to deal with revelations made at a hearing in December that at the time of his poisoning in November 2006 Litvinenko was actively working for the British secret services.

Litvinenko was also a "paid agent" of the Spanish security services. MI6 encouraged him to supply information to the Spanish about Russian mafia activities, and alleged links between top organised criminals and the Kremlin, the hearing was told.

Litvinenko travelled to Spain in 2006 and met his MI6 handler, "Martin", shortly before his fateful encounter with Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, the two men accused of killing him. The inquest scheduled to begin in May will hear claims that the pair were part of a "Russian state" plot to murder Litvinenko using radioactive polonium.

The fact that Litvinenko a former Russian spy was working for MI6 raises embarrassing questions as to whether British intelligence should have done more to protect him. Litvinenko had a dedicated phone to contact "Martin" and received regular payments to his bank account from MI6 and Madrid, it emerged in December.

In making their submission to the coroner, Sir Robert Owen, on Tuesday, the media groups will seek to argue that Hague's attempt to withhold evidence could undermine public confidence in the inquest. Currently the media as well as Litvinenko's widow, Marina, and son, Anatoly, are "completely in the dark" over what material the FCO seeks to exclude.

The media groups will seek to persuade the coroner that the government has also failed to explain what "harm" the release of the information might cause. Nor has it properly considered "lesser measures", such as redaction, which would allow some disclosure of sensitive documents, or the possibility of closed sessions.

Alex Bailin QC, the lawyer acting for the Guardian, will argue that "the public and media are faced with a situation where a public inquest into a death … may have large amounts of highly relevant evidence excluded from consideration by the inquest. Such a prospect is deeply troubling."

There are grave public concerns that allegations of "state-sponsored assassination" on the streets of London require "maximum openness". Additionally, the inquest is likely to be the only judicial forum where evidence will be heard, since the Kremlin has refused to extradite Lugovoi and Kovtun.

Speaking on Monday, Litvinenko's friend Alex Goldfarb said the foreign secretary appeared unwilling to offend Russia's "vindictive" president. Goldfarb told the Guardian: "I recognise that Mr Hague has a well-founded interest not to rock the boat with [Vladimir] Putin. He's afraid. He's afraid Putin will not vote the way he wants in the UN or squeeze Britain's interests."

He added: "The inquest is a balance between the interests of international relations and justice. The bottom line is how far do you compromise with your own justice and decency, and the benefits from doing business with arrogant, murderous and dictatorial foreign states?"

Goldfarb said forensic evidence and reports from Scotland Yard had already been disclosed to interested parties. But he said he was worried the government wanted to keep secret highly sensitive documents showing links between Russian mobsters in Spain and "Putin's inner circle". "That's what Sasha [Litvinenko] was up to," Goldfarb said.

An FCO spokesperson said: "The government has made an application to the court for public interest immunity in line with its duty to protect national security and the coroner is responsible for deciding that application based on the overall public interest."

Owen is due to hear submissions from the media at a hearing in the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday. He has previously indicated that he wants the inquest to be as open and broad as possible.

[Peter Lemkin]

In the name of 'National Security' from the UK, and to hide a political murder from Russia, [and the UK willing to let Russia keep its dirty little secrets in the interest of 'business]; therefore, very little will be learned unless the court gets some guts and stands up in ways it almost never does.......

[David Guyatt]

Why is it in the "public interest" to keep this secret, and why would revealing these documents "damage the national interest" to the "highest degree"?

Do I smell US or other close Allies involvement here - or am I imagining things?

Alexander Litvinenko: William Hague wins secrecy fight over inquest





High Court judges counter coroner's call to reveal details of protected documents

JOHN ASTON

Wednesday 27 November 2013

The Government has won a High Court order to prevent the partial lifting of a secrecy order affecting the proposed inquest into the death of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko.

Foreign Secretary William Hague succeeded in overturning coroner Sir Robert Owen's decision to reveal documents currently kept confidential by a public interest immunity (PII) certificate.
The coroner argued that disclosure was necessary for a "fair and meaningful" inquest.
Government lawyers contended the documents are "sensitive to the highest degree" and public disclosure would damage the national interest.
Today Lord Justice Goldring, sitting with two other judges, quashed Sir Robert's decision, saying: "I am driven to the conclusion that the weight the coroner gave to the views of the Secretary of State was insufficient and amounted to an error of law."
Mr Litvinenko, 43, a Russian dissident and former KGB agent, was poisoned in 2006 by radioactive polonium-210 while drinking tea during a meeting with former security colleagues at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London. He died three weeks later.