“Comrade Putin, we have successfully stockpiled novichoks in secret for ten years, and kept them hidden from the OPCW inspectors. We have also trained our agents in secret novichok assassination techniques. The programme has cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but now we are ready. Naturally, the first time we use it we will expose our secret and suffer massive international blowback. So who should be our first target? The head of a foreign intelligence agency? A leading jihadist rebel in Syria? A key nuclear scientist? Even a Head of State?”
“No, Tovarich. There is this old retired guy I know living in Salisbury. We released him from jail years ago…”
“With respect Comrade Putin, are you sure he is the most important target to reveal a programme we have put so much resource into for ten years?”
“Yes. I sit here every day and I cannot concentrate on the affairs of Russia or the World as all the time am thinking of Sergei Skripal. I should never have let him out of jail to spend his life buying lottery tickets and eating in Zizzis. But you must make absolutely certain to kill him.”
“Don’t worry Comrade Putin, we have been training in secret novichok assassination techniques for ten years. We even have an detailed manual explaining our methods. We will spread the novichok on his outside door handle (fiendish laugh).”
“Are you sure comrade? Is there not a danger it will wash off or get diluted?”
“No Comrade Putin, it never rains in England.”
That is, genuinely, in every detail the official British government version of what happened in Salisbury, including the ten year programme and the secret assassination manual.
Despite this story being one of the most improbably wild conspiracy theories in human history, it is those who express any doubt at all as to its veracity who are smeared as “conspiracy theorists” or even “traitors”.
All copyright on this article is waived. Feel free to use, translate and republish as you wish.
More “regime” lies unravelling with evidence from third parties (German prosecutors in this case): https://www.rt.com/news/423554-litvinenko-polonium-london-berezovsky/
Interesting, supports the Scaramella claim by Litvinenko.
What people have to appreciate is that the British elite’s friendship with Boris Berezovsky and what he was involved in when he lived in Britain, and who with, including members of the royal family, is the mother of all scandals waiting to erupt.
Polonium was found in Berezovsky’s office FFS and several people who could have given more evidence (including eventually him) have been offed. Those who believe the line that the Litvinenko story is essentially one in which the nasty FSB whacked a defector from its ranks don’t get it, and in particular they don’t get the sheer magnitude of the Berezovsky-Britain story.
Some propositions are so ridiculous that mockery is the only sane response.
I could explain but can’t be arsed, why logic now dictates that Russia must now take Israel out of the equation.
(amended so as not to waste mods’ time)
Indeed.
Got to wonder how many tens of millions of European, Asian, African and North American lives the compradore elites in the west will be willing to “let go” to try to protect what French ambassador Daniel Bernard memorably called the “Shitty Little Country”.
Chabad still celebrate what they understand to be their murder of Stalin. (Someone doesn’t believe me? Well take it from the horse’s mouth.)
It’s been flamingly obvious for some time that the elites of the west, Russia and the SLC itself have viewed WW3 as inevitable.
Best not to be arsed to post your explanation here anyway, since comments considered to be too critical of the second state you mention get removed fast. So let’s just quote Reuters regarding the airbase in Syria that the second-mentioned state bombed, killing at least 14 people:
“Defence analysts say there are large deployments of Russian forces at the T-4 base and jets fly regular sorties from there to strike rebel-held areas.”
(“Defence analysts” means US or British intelligence.)
How does logic explain that at all? Russia and Israel work closely together and have loads of economic links.
Wikipedia has a page on “Atrocity propaganda”. I.e., where you demonise an Official Enemy in order to soften up public opinion for our own real atrocities. Worth a perusal in these angst ridden times:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda
There are certainly problems with the theory that the Russian state tried to kill Skripal. But then why pull the stops out, all over the world? Why would the Americans go along with it?
because antagonizing russia and smearing it without evidence is the us national obsession.
@zoot are you a troll
The US are in on it from the beginning. Surely you realise that the ‘5 eyes’ nations are all working together?
. . . and the 5EYES partner with a humongous tiered matrix of agencies, on average two per nation ( last time I mentioned this open source fact I received 27000 emails a couple of hours later, eh? boys)
These agencies are probably doing some good, but some of them are manifestly evil. According to this open source fact on one of the key partners:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/world/asia/south-korea-spy-corruption.html
Because the western elite – centred on the US and I__el with compradore elites elsewhere – want WW3. There’s no way back now.
What happened in Salisbury is relevant to them in communications terms mainly. If it hadn’t been that, it would have been something else.
“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. It’s easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” (Hermann Goering)
It seems that the Russians are finally waking up and their media is actually educating their public on what an implacable enemy they have in the West. The Saker has an article about how Russian talking heads currently see the West:
https://thesaker.is/listening-to-russian-experts-short-report-about-the-mood-on-russian-prime-time-tv/
Excerpt:
“Next, there was an consensus view that pleading, reasoning, asking for fairness or justice, or even for common sense, was futile. The Russian view is simple: the West is ruled by a gang of thugs supported by an infinitely lying and hypocritical media while the general public in the West has been hopelessly zombified. The authority of the so-called “western values” (democracy, rule of law, human rights, etc.) in Russia is now roadkill.”
If you read the article you will also see how they are now talking about military action against the West – no “jaw jaw”, it’s “war war” now. This isn’t the Russian government speaking of course, but if they do stop saying “our Western partners”, at least their public will be prepared for it.
Not only the Russians, but myself, most Anarchists and the majority of contributors to this forum would also agree:
“the West is ruled by a gang of thugs supported by an infinitely lying and hypocritical media while the general public in the West has been hopelessly zombified”
So true, Billy. John Bolton epitomises the mafia mentality – e.g., when Jose Bustani would not quit as director-general of the OPCW in 2002, Bolton threatened his family saying “we know where your kids are”.
Whereas Russia just has the one thug in control. Much more efficient!
We have democratically elected thugs?
Putin may be a “thug” (though that’s up for serious debate), but at least he keeps to himself and his own back yard. The US and UK, together with their NATO satellites, Israel, and the Gulf monarchies, on the other hand, stage coups and instigate wars all over the world – including Russia’s back yard – with millions dead, wounded, displaced, and entire countries ruined as a result. All this not in the interest of their own citizens (who have been quietly revolting through the upsurge of the so-called “populist” movements), but in the interest of an international cabal of secret services, military-industrial complexes, and TNCs, that are slowly but surely moving towards a global surveillance state with distinct Orwellian overtones.
Syria, Ukraine, Crimea and arming rebels in Afghanistan; all Russia’s back yard?
I tend to agree with you there, Mark. That’s a relief, at least we found some common ground!
Slightly off topic perhaps, but I seem to remember that Mark Golding mentioning that there is currently a Mossad assassination team active in the UK and this was causing some divisions within S.I.S.. Given Israel’s undoubted ambition to topple Assad and given the possible motive of seeding the narrative about dastardly Russians using CW in preparation for the recent Syrian false flag CW attack, is it possible the team were involved in the Skripal shenanigans? If not, why are they in the UK? By Way of Deception should be required reading BTW.
I think he was referring to Spurs
They have a permanent presence in their London Embassy, when they aren’t killing they hone their skills with “Friends Of” Workshops and organising trips for the easily bought to Israel.
And when they are not based in London they use false British Passports to ply the trade overseas.
But Mrs May won’t send any of them home. It’s Different Rules Rule.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mossad-assassinations-israel-foreign-operations-arafat-book-shin-bet-ronan-bergman-interviews-a8181391.html
Thanks for that link, did they ever mention doorknobs, I wonder?
By “they”, do you mean Mossad or their Kidon section?
i will read the book and let you know, I found a pdf copy on the Internet archive, so it must be legal
https://archive.org/details/RiseAndKillFirstTheSecretHistoryOfIsraelsTargetedAssassinationRonenBergman2018
and his other book on the secret war with Iran is available from an Iranian website who obviously feel quite strongly about his claims:
http://irangate.ystc.ir/
scroll down
Russia and Israel are actually working closely together. Potentially they disagree over Syria but it doesn’t stop Putin and Netahyahu being best buddies. Netanyahu gets raw materials and oil. Putin gets Israeli made drones (using stolen US tech) that are far better than the rubbish Russian made drones that performed so poorly in 2008 with the Georgia thing.
‘‘Russia Will Never Be Our Friend, We’ll Slap Them When Needed’ – US Envoy Nikki Haley’:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49154.htm
Spoken like a true US Dipstick (sorry, Diplomat!). Almost on a par with our UK shower.
I imagine there are exceptions to the ‘Dipstick’ rule in the UK. Otherwise Craig wouldn’t receive some of the information he posts here.
Yes ZM, Many in the UK intelligence community do have a conscience and an accurate world view.
I think the scary UKSTASI guys spend rather a lot of time, money, effort trying to suppress integrity; I’d nevertheless rate the UK IC as much less than 50% ‘dipstick’.
Haley is basically insane, so we shouldn’t expect much sense from her.
Nah, that is a purposeful rabid dog madness. It is madness to scare those who can be scared, which is mostly smaller countries than Russia and China. The Russians could just respond – come and slap us bitch, it is just that they do not want to sink down to Haley’s and State Department’s level.
You can only scare those who can be scared, and it’s often rational to. Genghis Khan was a psywar hotshot. Agreed that they can’t scare either Russia or China.
A lot of things fall into place if the elites in both “the West” and Russia view WW3 as inevitable. There are questions as to what you want to happen when, in which order, what forces you can get to where, where you want it to crack off (it’s getting late and it will probably be Syria now, but it could still just about be somewhere else), how fast you want the theatres of conflict to multiply (which they will), and how you can pocket billions while nobody’s looking, etc., but there isn’t a question of “How do we prevent war between the US and Russia?”
Interesting video found from a commenter on The Saker.
https://alaff84.wordpress.com/
Alleges that US and UK SF were trapped/killed in Ghouta.
Thanks for that. It rings true and explains the hysteria first surrounding the Skripal incident and then the sudden shift to Douma and equally hysterical reaction.
The video on viemo you are referring to:
https://vimeo.com/263728681
It is 20mins long but is by far the best high quality source and not low information speculation & circumstantial evidence.
1) East Ghouta is a base for 100’s of US and British Special Forces/Military advisers who train and supply jihadists (‘rebels’) with high tech weaponry as well as a base for UAV drones to attack Syrian, Russian and Iranian forces
2) The advances of Syrian, Russian and Iranian forces have trapped these US & British personnel
3) Through diplomatic channels the UK has been trying to get Russia to give them a clear passage to escape rather than to be captured, which would cause massive levels of embarrassment for the West
4) In desperation the UK engineered the Skripal incident in an attempt to weaken Russia’s international position
5) In mid March 2018 100’s of US and British Military Advisers/Spec op’s were killed by Russian air strikes
There is some speculation that France may have launched last night’s attack on Syria.
It may be significant that early this morning (pretty much at the same time the air strikes on Syria started), 2,500 gendarmes were deployed to remove the remaining 250 occupants of the ZAD (zone à défendre), the site at Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique) where an airport was to be built.
In January 2018, Macron decided that plans for the airport would be abandoned.
This major operation to remove the remaining Zadistes (or rather the reporting of it – I don’t think many French people are interested) strikes me as a convenient diversion. Pics of gendarmes in full riot gear silhouetted against flames in the grey light of dawn kind of thing.
http://www.france24.com/en/20180409-france-notre-dame-des-landes-authorities-operation-evacuate-abandoned-airport-site
Incidentally, guess who was visiting France on Sunday?
http://www.france24.com/en/20180408-saudi-crown-prince-macron-france-global-tour
Russia says it was the Israelis. As well as Russian intelligence being good, and accurate at least 90% of what I’ve seen, it makes sense. The proxy war on behalf of Israel which was nearly over thanks to Russian intervention. But that is not in Israel’s interest. Israel, as it steals land from the Palestinians, has also stolen land from the Syrians on the Golan Heights. I doubt it’s France.
IDF refused to comment on the Russian MoD statement. Bear in mind that the Russians have an active S400 in Syria, so it’s entirely plausible that they have full traces not only of the cruise missiles but of the planes taking off and flying to the point of launch of those missiles, and then those planes returning to their base.
Yes the infallible S400 – and yet no reports of any of the attacking aircraft being shot down.
Any Russians targeted in Syria? What do you think happened to the tomahawks Trump launched last year, how many actually managed to hit the target?
The israelii jets cowardly hid in Lebanese air space.
The S400s got 5 out of 8 of their missiles, so the story goes.
So the story goes… even if the Israeli planes never left Lebanese airspace they’d still have been legitimate targets for a missile system that we’ve been told has the range to hit targets over Israel itself but when did Putin and Assad ever worry about legitimacy?
I don’t think Syria is going to start shooting down Israeli jets in Lebanese air space, even if they could, it would widen the conflict.
Rah rah, blunderbus here, lets get a crack at them har har har.
Missiles were fired from Lebanese territory and to argue that they should be given an ss400 to stop Bibi’s diversion tactics, he has a few pressing court dates, might just have a point. keep up emperor kempe.
John
They are trying to steal the Golan – not least because it is a massive oil ‘well’.
Here is the link to the granting of the oil exploratory licences.
http://www.businessinsider.com/israel-grants-golan-heights-oil-license-2013-2?IR=T
Here is the link to some of the shareholders
http://yournewswire.com/cheney-rothschild-murdoch-co-start-drilling-for-oil-in-syria/
Its a blatant theft of Syrian resources for the profits of some of the biggest warmongers and criminals on the planet.
Already filthy rich with mega billions between them – stealing the resources of a sovereign state and its people – for personal greed.
You will need a bucket.
They also stole Libya’s 155 billion of state owned funds that Ghaddaffi had in Swiss banks, Emily, no wonder the Russians think that we are the superior crooks.
Thanks Emily. I also suspect that Israel will never be big enough for Israelis which is why they created all the proxy wars in the ME. I can no longer throw-up over what Israel gets up to. Like alcohol when you are used to it it no longer makes you physically sick. But I can never get inured of its countless acts of state terrorism and proxy state terrorism.
I thought at first it might be France, but a French army spokesman has denied it. It was I__ael.
TASS are citing SANA, which perhaps indicates that psywar isn’t everything, but probably had there been Russian casualties we would know about it by now.
Not sure if this piece by Andre Vltchek has been posted here yet; gritty realism that’s not shy about what all this is really about;
https://journal-neo.org/2018/04/08/degeneracy-and-fundamentalism-of-western-media-control/
It is sound analysis. About western aggression Vitchek writes:
“Would they sacrifice one, tens or hundreds of millions of human beings, just in order to retain control over the universe? Definitely they would! They already have, on several occasions, without thinking twice, with no regret and no mercy.”
He then goes on to list some of them. There is an optimistic note, not just that the allied non-western alliances are fully determined to see off this attack on freedom whatever it takes, but that many of us in the west are seeing through this ludicrous propaganda.
Getting back on topic the interview Craig gave to Sky is part of that propaganda. He was told that the reason it was never broadcast was because it was boring. Whatever Craig is and whatever people think about him he is never boring. The reason it was not broadcast was because it did not fall into the Skripal case agenda and he never fell into any traps.
In early March Iran hawks Pompeo and Bolton were appointed by Trump and the spy poisoning narrative was launched. NATO and EU members were quickly marshalled into ‘Russia is the enemy’ mode. The chief obstruction to Trump’s plan to dump the Iran deal is the EU. Russia’s main ally in Syria is Iran. The neocons’ long-standing plan is to take out Iran (in conjunction with Israel of course). The problem is how to make the bridge from bad Russia to bad Iran and the need for war. In the case of Iraq it took a while to go from 9/11 to the invasion of Iraq via WMD. But now that the European leading powers are lined up, it should be a bit quicker, via claims of chemical warfare by Assad. The prize is Iran.
Field research in chatrooms where complete morons hang out suggests that some members of that demographic in the US are reasoning as follows: “the Russkies are poisoning the Brits, they’re poisoning the Syrians, and if we don’t kick their goddamned Russkie asses, they’re gonna be poisoning the United States next“. I jest not. We can discuss here how the “Skripal narrative” is falling apart, Stephen Davies this, Gary Aitkenhead this, Boris Johnson’s latest lie, etc., but there is a large target market of those who aren’t in the habit of analysing stuff, to put it mildly. “Russian poisoners gonna poison” is big in their minds.
About the poor wee pets, three dead, one cat being hunted down as we speak by Porton Down gas oven teams:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5983643/skripals-beloved-cat-nash-van-drake-had-to-be-secretly-put-down-following-the-poison-attack/
Were they savagely murdered or burnt alive and videos shown to the Skripals to show them how tough the Brits can be and get them to keep their traps shut and sign up to a witness “protection” scam?
“Hello, Doctor, can someone tell me how my dear cat and Dad’s guinea pigs are doing, please?”
“Look, Julia, we burned your pets alive and we will do the same to you, don’t you think we are capable of it?
“But, but, please, I want to go home, just take Dad and leave me alone, i want to see my boyfriend and dog and family in Moscow”
“Sorry, love, it’s a package deal, either both of you get new IDs or we kick your dad out of the hospital tomorrow morning and send him to watch the World Cup in Moscow”
Why don’t you let me home, please!”
“Sorry, love, your dad’s house is being demolished…I told you we are even more brutal than the KGB”
Why such vitriol, Billy? You’re only making your cause look bad by dripping this venomous sarcasm at the expense of the only real victims of this so-called “nerve agent poisoning”, their bodies conveniently incinerated to avoid any kind of examination on presence of “lethal nerve agents”.
I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick again, Mark. I was trying to exaggerate but not trying to be sarcastic. Really, that’s what I think they are doing, obviously different words. Julia Skripal must be under a lot of pressure to agree to their “witness program”.
The Daily Express have somehow linked Syria to the Skripal poisioning affair. How convenient!
Unnamed ‘sources’ claim British intelligence intercepted a message from Syria to Moscow on the day of the poisioning, claiming “the package has been delivered”.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/942903/Sergei-Skripal-russian-spy-poisoning-russian-message-intercepted
“and two named individuals had made a successful departure”
The plot thickens
I suspect the two names they have will be a Mr. Putin, and a Mr. Assad. Why not state both of them delivered it personally, and keep the fiction going? Most people wouldn’t question it if Boris and the BBC say it, would they?
Aren’t they automated now with most courier services or are they claiming the Putin used UPS to deliver the “Novichok”.
If anybody believes the spin on that they will believe a fat Father Christmas comes down people’s chimneys on 25th December.
However what I did find interesting was an article about and Australian who claims to have discovered the whereabouts of MH370 somewhere near Rodrigues Island but nobody wants to talk about it.
That would be suspiciously close to Diego Garcia considering the early conspiracy theories about possibility of
1) The pilot might have wanted to target Diego Garcia.
2) Whether it was shot down by the US air force because it was going toward Diego Garcia.
Where did you find the story please.
It was in the Express but quite an old article. It started off with something like “It is twelve months since . . .”
I seem to remember the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US — five died and two Congressional opponents of Bush were targeted — were first blamed on Bin Laden and then Iraq.
https://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/free/lobster69/lob69-anthrax-deception.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rli1S1_Zmg
This is Richard Lambert, the man who lead the FBI inquiry:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/ex-fbi-agent-claims-retaliation-for-dissent-in-anthrax-inquiry.html
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20150518-former-agent-sues-fbi-for-retaliating-against-him-for-criticizing-anthrax-letters-investigation
“This (the message sent on the day of the Salisbury incident) prompted a young Flight Lieutenant to recall a separate message that had been intercepted and discounted on the previous day. What it said has not been revealed but sources say it became relevant once the Skripals were attacked.”
I wonder who that bit is aimed at.
The EU, without any evidence had accused Syria of the Chemical Weapon Attack
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-syrian-monitors-14-killed-air-base-strike-54330739
The OPCW has given Syria a clean bill of health in the CW department
https://opcw.unmissions.org/
The US along with any other country with or without proof can report their suspicions of CW abuses to the OPCW and if warranted the OPCW can and does perform unannounced inspections.
There is NO EVIDENCE of Syrian CW Abuses.
“There is NO EVIDENCE of Syrian CW Abuses.”
Quite. But the West doesn’t give a shit about evidence, all that counts is the accusation.
Like Churchill after Gallipoli, or Enver Pasha after he fled Turkey, Bodgers knows that it will never be bright confident morning again.
https://twitter.com/EHSANI22/status/983143437817040897
The SG has been trying hard to free Alawi civilians abducted by JAI from Adra for years, so now they bomb them with chlorine gas especially when they are so near to victory? Also why did the SG supposedly always use CW in areas where the WH operate and not against DAESH? It does not make sense
It does if it’s a lie
It is not a lie, do you have any evidence it is, when the other side has been lying in Syria for at least 7 years and elsewhere for much longer?
No, I meant that the chemical attacks are a lie
Finally, hope is on the horizon:
Elisa Allen, the director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Britain (PETA UK), has blamed British authorities for the deaths of pets owned by former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia , according to The Independent.
“These deaths are another tragedy of this horrific situation, and this time, the British authorities are evidently to blame,” Allen pointed out.
She called for a probe into the matter “to determine how this was allowed to happen and ensure that procedures are put in place to prevent any such loss of lives – which were valued by the Skripals and the animals themselves – from ever happening again.”
PETA UK, in turn, said on its Twitter page that “no one should have left these animals inside the house any more than they would have done children – clearly, they should have been rescued.”
“PETA is calling for an investigation in order to determine how this was allowed to happen & ensure that procedures are put in place,” the organization added.
So where was the RSPCA.
Any veterinary Associations and a dozen other large animal charities – Cats Protection?
A number of which I belong to and financially support.
Are any of these groups out looking for the missing cat before it gets killed by the authorities.
If not – why not?
I think they would immediately hand the escapee over to the authorities, so best not to tell them, they would then justify it by claiming that the cat was acting strangely and showed symptoms of ‘”nervousness” or a related symptom…
Why does Jeremy not pound the table and shout THIS IS NOT THE NAZI VOLKSGERICHT! INNOCENT TILL PROVEN GUILTY!
Russia is still the most likely perpetrator. I am not even sure Craig thinks anyone else did it – his objection seems to be the government spin and their claims of absolute proof.
Looking objectively at the other alternatives.
1. UK did this to itself: Eventually the truth would come out (it always does) and then there would be all hell to pay and long jail terms for those involved. Not buying it. Compare this to the situation in Russia where Andrei Lugovoi has gone from murderer to tv personality without seeing the inside of a cell.
2. This is all staged: That’s a conspiracy theory along the lines of we didn’t land on the moon. Moving on.
3. Another nation state did this to frame Russia: In that case, Russia shouldn’t be complaining at the UK’s unfair treatment – we are both victims of a very twisted plot?
4. Russian mafia/rogue FSB agents: Possibly, but then this is nothing but a message to Putin: “you could be next, all it takes is a drop on a door handle or park bench, and no secret service can protect you”. I think if Putin thought this was an actual possibility, the Russian government would be trying to constructively help the British investigation without a whole bunch of unrealistic pre-conditions such as demanding information in return.
5. Lone wolf/nut: Although, I can’t see that getting hold of novichok can be harder than obtaining weaponized anthrax (remember that?), and in some ways this is the hardest alternative theory to discredit since one doesn’t have to consider the possible motivation of a nut, i’m not convinced this is more likely than Russia did it. Certainly, if this turns out to be the case, there would be a lot of egg on some people faces, likely enough to derail Brexit, so I’m sure hoping for this, but objectively its not realistic.
In summary, Russia remains the most likely perpetrator (>50%). The arguments that Russia doesn’t have motive are unconvincing (for example, as part of the spy swap Sergei could have ‘agreed’ to no longer talk to British authorities and perhaps the Russians have information that he didn’t keep his end of the ‘bargain’. I’m not saying that this is the case, just pointing out that the lack of motive argument is unsound). It also helps to project Russian power.
Keeping an open mind is one thing, stuffing it with a whole bunch of alternative theories is quite another.
There is only one evidence based investigation, and that is the one being conducted by British police – everything else, including theories put forward by myself, is wild speculation. Investigations take a long time, but when it is finished the results will be evidence based – of coarse there will be many people that will never believe the findings of the investigation. The lack of any information from the actual investigation doesn’t mean that it isn’t progressing, (but we don’t know), and to some extent we just have to be patient (or we can go on speculating and inventing new conspiracy theories).
My preference is for 4) not Russian government. I think the reason why the Russians cannot offer to help UK against common enemy is that they flatly deny novichok exists or that they had or have anything like it anywhere in Russia. This rather stymies offering to help the UK track down the perpetrators.
The reason why I do not think it is a Putin level operation is that he generally has quite clear “large” objectives for controversial actions on the international stage. In the case of Crimea, he needs the Black Sea port, the majority of the inhabitants appear to think of themselves as Russian (a lot were moved there by Stalin) and he thinks of Crimea as Russian. In the case of Syria, originally at any rate, he wanted a base in Tartus there on the Med, he wanted to be a power player in the Middle East and he sells them lots of weapons. Of course it is out of hand now, but I am guessing those were his original objectives.
Picking off the Skripals in the UK is for whatr: telling the world and the EU in particular, Russian assassins are nasty. Really?. We all know that anyway. Sending a message to Russians in London? well the 15 Russians killed in London and surrounds in recent users, many in mysterious circumstances and not investigated by UK police, might have been thought to have done that very well. London to Moscow is what 1700 miles, UK has no significant trade links and if he wanted to hit somewhere directly involved in the Syrian actions, wouldn’t France have been a better target?. It seems a lot of grief to incur just to say we Russians are nasty people. And bad timing with the World Cup coming up.
I have to say I have no faith in any investigation carried out by the Met Police after the Jean Charles de Menezes. In that case and on other occasions I have observed, they have shown themselves more than capable of inventing “fact”s (including inventing witnesses and statements) to suit the case they want to make.
Mary, I don’t disagree that the big picture motivation seems a little lacking. It certainly would have been a lot easier for Sergei to fall down the steps, or if you wanted the greatest British public to raise their eyebrows just a little he could easily have strangled himself in the bath tub. (and in either of those two cases he might actually be dead)
The difficulty of manufacturing novichok was clearly overstated. There is a chemical formula so literally any pharma lab, university lab or government lab could synthesise it.
I probably have more faith in you that the police will professionally do their job, including the messy business of ascertaining the whereabouts of Porton Down scientists and ex-scientists on the day. [historically, there have many cases of firemen setting fires and nurses who enjoy watching their patients die, so these things need to be looked at even if they are not the leading theory]. There is going to be a documentary (probably several) and journalists will talk to the investigators and vice versa. At this stage, investigators are not talking because its not professional and they would lose their job and be prosecuted. Similarly, its difficult for the main stream media to really ask good questions (the kind that you would need to make a believable documentary). A good journalist can only really report based on evidence, so until the evidence is out and people are willing to talk they can’t get into speculation, but it doesn’t mean they totally buy into the official line.
You make some good, rational points and I would agree with most of what you say, so I’d like to put my pet theory on the line for you to dissect and criticize:
1. It was a botched murder attack (using a related Novichok compund) by a criminal gang from the Caucasus ordered by Mr. G at the behest of Mrs V, the mother of Stepan Vikeev, boyfriend of Julia.
(this mother-in law idea was originally claimed in a mashtv interview by Victoria Skripal and never retracted)
Stepan is currently being interrogated by the FSB and it seems his mother will also soon be questioned.
(If you don’t know who they are by now, please scroll down to see a summary or look at previous comments on this blog “Portonblimp Down Episode 2 – A Tale By Boris Johnson”)
2. The British realized what had happened but framed Russia knowing full well that Russia would deny having been involved. This helps to explain many of the bizarre aspects of the case to date,
3. The British then used the provoked media storm to “frame the narrative” to enable them to justify a US/UK/French attack on Syria over a false flag chemical weapons attack which has just taken place or will take place,
4, The actual mechanics of the poison/murder attempt will either be revealed in the future or not.
5, My theory still stands whatever the mechanics are (door knob, spray in face, suitcase, etcetera)
6. My theory explains not only the British government statements and actions but also the Russian statements and actions
Note:
Julia Skripal’s boyfriend is Stepan Viikeev, his mother is VikkevTatyana Vasilyevna Vikeeva – Director of Institute of Modern Security Problems – Founded by the vice-president of PJSC “MMC” Norilsk, Nickel Vladislav Gasumyanov – 1982 – 2001 – service in the bodies of the KGB, SVR, FSB
https://biography.omicsonline.org/russian-federation/norilsk-nickel/gasumyanov-vladislav-ivanovich-410735
Gasumyanov is known to be connected to an Armenian criminal boss named Tevosik (Tevos Safaryan).
http://stringer-news.com/publication.mhtml?Part=37&PubID=34455
It turns out that our Gasumyanov has a colorful past and has been intimately linked to Caucasian criminal gangs and drug smuggling cartels as well as other corrupt activities:
Who in the Kremlin covers up the “Armenian mole” Gasumyanov?
This labyrinth of corruption stretches from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia) to the Administration of President Dmitry Medvedev. The supreme distributor of this sewer of corruption is Vladislav Gasumyanov, the deputy head of the President’s Office for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, headed by Sergei Vinokurov (later head of SVR), the confidant of the head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergei Naryshkin.
http://stringer-news.com/publication.mhtml?Part=48&PubID=17973
http://fyodor.su/avtoritet-tevos-safaryan-foto.html
https://krutiha22.ru/tevos-safaryan-avtoritet-foto.html
There is an old claim that Gasamyanov poisoned his previous boss at the Federal Reserve, Alexander Grigoriev, appointed by Putin, who had discovered his corruption and crime links. Grigoriev died of a “heart attack” and Gasamyanov went to Putin and accused his ex-boss of corruption. Putin knew Grigoriev well and didn’t swallow it and sent him packing….for a while.
“Gasamyanov, a KGB / FSB general, poisoned another FSB general, the head of Rosrezerv, who was considered a crystal-clear person (http://rospres.com/specserv/3808/ “The Secret of the Death of the Head of the Rosrezerv”). These manners of Gasumyanov are encrypted on his personal coat of arms, and in particular: “Everyone who will be guided by morality and” blacken “the coat of arms of the USSR will be poisoned.” This illiterate businessman, imagined himself to be the key figure of the FSB. You have to pay for naivety. And for talkativeness – even more so. With his personal coat of arms, Gasumyanov issued a state secret about the role of the FSB. The boomerang (poison) that he released soon will overtake him. Ossetian greetings to him on the way to the next world, He booked hell for his soul.”
https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/24570379.html
Just checked his KGB record, when he was deputy director of the KGB Department for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic between 1989 and 1991, well, I would never have guessed, he suddenly became Director after his boss died in an unexplained helicopter crash,
IVANOV Sergey Semenovich (October-November 28, 1991) [1]
Deputy Head: GASUMYANOV Vladislav Ivanovich (1989 – 1991)
V.I.Gasumyanov [1] Killed at helicopter crash. In 1991, the acting president chief – V.I.Gasumyanov;
http://shieldandsword.mozohin.ru/kgb5491/terr_org/respublik/azerbaijan/nkao.htm
what about it never actually happened, the skripals are part of a charade linked to the CA “revelations” (skripal was apparently investigating CA if you believe that). All a continuation of the manipulation that has been revealed, but the revelation itself is further manipulation to push for a premature and unnecessary second brexit referendum which would gold plate brexit. This is exactly the kind of thing we are told SCL and CA do, why should we assume or believe they have stopped?
we will probably never see or hear from the skripals again, why? even the actor that played Nick Bailey has disappeared
Of coarse we will hear from the skripals. Yulia has just been discharged from hospital – although she has asked for privacy, I can’t imagine too many journalists are taking that request seriously, and some will come with money for an exclusive interview. (probably not bbc). The British police don’t have powers to hold Yulia, or to force her to accept protection – obviously they probably don’t want her falling foul to an assassin over the next couple of weeks (that would be kind of embarrassing), but long term there may not be much anyone can do – even in the Orkney Isles they have internet (probably?), so when the latest mystery settler is Jane Smith with an obvious Russian accent someone is going to connect the dots (pretty quickly) – realistically given the publicity there may not be anywhere to hide, certainly not before riding out media interest.
Two weeks on from this comment and it’s clear to me that there was no Salisbury like there was no Douma. It’s all completely made up. No victims, no crime.
Craig,
You forgot “boring”…
“conspiracy theorists” or even “traitors” or “boring”.
Update from breaking OCCRP investigation into professor Leonard Rink’s links to organised crime groups from the Caucasus and how he supplied them with 0.25 ml ampoules containing 100 doses of Novichok enough to kill one person in each ampoule. Further claimed that “Novichok” would degrade slightly over time but still be lethal after 30 years.
“The substance I wanted to obtain … is labelled a state secret. … In terms of its toxic impact, it is similar to VX [a highly toxic nerve agent],” Rink added. “We poured it out into vials, about 0.25 grams each. … I took the vials home with me and put them in my garage.”
It’s not clear exactly how many vials Rink took with him. According to files from a separate top secret criminal investigation launched against him as a spin-off of the Kivelidi case, he had made “8-9 vials” and, on Sept. 13, 1995, gave some to “individuals of Chechen origin in the city of Moscow.”
According to a specialist who took part in Rink’s interrogation, 0.25 grams of the substance would be enough to poison 100 people. “If applied to the skin, only a hundredth of the amount contained in a vial would be enough to kill a person weighing around 80-90 kilograms,” he said, according to the interrogation document.
During interrogation, both the specialist and Rink confirmed that the substance was top secret and that it was produced at GITOS. Two other specialists contacted by reporters who were knowledgeable about Novichok said that if the substance was produced correctly and sealed in a vial, it would remain effective even after 25-30 years of storage. While they acknowledged that it would lose strength over time, the dose needed to kill someone is so minimal that it would be effective even at reduced strength.
He initially told investigators that in 1994, he gave one of them to a man named Ryabov who had initially told him he wanted to poison a dog, but then “said that the poison was needed not for a dog, but for a person.” However, in court testimony in 2007, Rink said that he had given Ryabov four vials and that they were eventually seized by the Federal Security Service. Rink said that Ryabov had started to threaten him. “I was afraid of Ryabov’s threats; [he] was connected with criminal elements. … [so] I agreed to get this poison for him,” he told investigators in 2000.
In the spring of 1995, according to a file from the investigation, Rink sold another vial to Artur Talanov, who lived in Latvia at the time — as the document puts it, “for self-defense.”
“Some people needed the substance to settle [their] gangster disputes,” Rink explained in 2007 court hearings. “They found out where my relatives live. Ryabov came to my home, and I had to buy him off somehow. First I gave him something simple, I thought that would be enough. Then something more serious.”
Talanov subsequently took part in an attempted robbery on a cash delivery van in Estonia, where he was shot and seriously wounded.
But — at least according to the investigation — the vial Talanov bought ended up in the hands of Vladimir Khutsishvili, a long-time acquaintance of the murdered banker and former board member of Rosbusinessbank. Khutsishvili was eventually convicted of Kivelidi’s murder in 2007 — as the investigation saw it, he was in the banker’s office at a time when poison could have been applied to the telephone receiver.
For the hundred doses of the substance contained in the vial he sold Talanov, Rink received “from US$1,500 to $1,800,” according to his testimony.
In July 2004, law enforcement within the Kivelidi murder case decided to halt the criminal investigation against Rink and those he sold the poisonous substance to (on the illegal preparation, acquisition, storage, transport, and sale of potent and poisonous substances), as the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution had expired.
The fate of the other vials Rink took home is unknown. He declined to comment for this story.
https://www.rbc.ru/photoreport/06/03/2018/5a9e74619a794775e560e536
Investigation report Russian document now published:
https://www.occrp.org/documents/novichok-has-already-killed/investigation-against-rink-stopped.pdf
Your article was both informative and entertaining. Many thanks!
My pleasure, as always!