Feb 07 2007
Berezovsky Tries To Hide His Ties To Lugovoi
Some Russians are the worst liars. They grew up under the Soviet Union when a lie did not have to sound plausible, just have the necessary brutal power behind it to become accepted. But in the West dumb lies without any brutality to support them sound like, well, dumb lies. Listen to Berezovsky’s own idiotic attempts to claim Lugovoi was never as close to him as Litvinenko:
RFE/RL: How long have you known Lugovoi?
Berezovsky: Lugovoi emerged at the time when Yegor Gaidar ceased to be [acting] prime minister [in late 1992]. Before that, Lugovoi, as far as I understand, was the head of Gaidar’s security. It was Yegor Gaidar who recommended Lugovoi to me as a decent, honest person capable of taking charge of my personal security. After I met Andrei, he did in fact build the system I needed. There were a lot of former employees of the KGB and the [KGB’s] 9th Directorate [which provided personal security for high-ranking officials] among my security guards, including Lugovoi himself.
Then Badri [Patarkatsishvili, my longtime friend and partner, offered Lugovoi the post of security chief at ORT [television], at that huge organization. It was Lugovoi who organized ORT’s security. After he assumed that position, my ties with him sort of weakened, but he was always in sight. We talked occasionally, and rather productively.
So I talked to him when he [first] came to London, about three months before [these events]. My daughter was about to go to Russia, and I asked Lugovoi to organize her security. And so he did. Essentially, when he came to London [last time] and we met on [October] 31, I wanted to thank him for organizing my daughter’s security.
Ugh, this guy cannot BS anyone. Lugovoi was his bodyguard, charged with protecting his life. That is not something you trust to just anyone on a casual basis. But even the lame attempt by Berezovsky to dismiss the connection with regards to protecting his life is idiotic if anyone is going to think the man did not have the utmost respect and trust in Lugovoi when he was charged with protecting Berezovsky’s daughter. The two were close. You only put your life into hands you trust and know. Especially when you have the money to buy the very best in the world.
Also note the early connection between Lugovoi and and Berezovsky. If we assume Berezovsky was the ‘mastermind’ behind Po-210 smuggling it makes sense he would tap men he trusted with his life to work this mission. Lugovoi and Litvinenko met over 12 times during the past year. The last three times show a Po-210 trail at each meeting – all in Oct of last year. 3 meeting a month mean one could see Lugovoi coming to see Berezovsky early on to get his orders for his role. That would make his meeting right when Berezovsky said he first met Lugovoi.
What I find interesting about this interview is Berezovsky keeps backing away from outright blaming Lugovoi. But if Berezovsky is looking at guilty behavior as a sign of guilt (another silly view only valid in Soviet block, not supposedly here in the West) his comments are suspicious. Why did he not answer the question regarding his own miraculous escape from Lugovoi’s assassination attempt? He was the bigger prize when compare to Litvinenko! Whatever the case, Berezovsky has yet to explain the timeline of Litvinenko in his office. We now have Lugovoi there twice. Was three months before (to protect Berezovsky’s own flesh and blood) and the day before Litvinenko was supposedly poisoned (but possibly the day the Po-210 was spilled in the Millenium hotel room on the 4th floor). Why is it we cannot nail down when Litvinenko trailed Po-210 into Berezovsky’s office?
Update: Berezovsky did confirm in these interviews that Lugovoi visited him on Oct 31st and Litvinenko sometime on November 1. The question is does the Po-210 trail in Berezovsky’s office follow Litvinenko or Lugovoi. And it is important to know WHEN Litvinenko visited. My guess is it was before the Pine Bar meeting, and probaby before Litvinenko’s meeting with Scaramella around 3:00 PM. What I would not be surprised at all to hear is Litvinenko and Lugovoi visited together – which would call into question Berezovsky’s version of events.
putin sent gaidar a message, too:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f6f5368e-7ff6-11db-a3be-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=4e612cca-6707-11da-a650-0000779e2340.html
OBVIOUSLY lugovoy was a double agent working for putin who penetrated berezovsky inner circle.
if lugovoy was working for berezovsky then he would not have returned to moscow. period.
this is a simpler theory which explains MORE than your complicated and convoluted theory.
and do you REALLY believe that berezovsky would CHOOSE to be around the Polonium when it was being handled!?!?
sheesh.
he obviously got tainted after lugovoy had used the stuff on litvinenko.
luvya!
reliapundit,
Lugovoi returned to Russia because that was the plan. Litvinenko did not show up really sick for a day or so after Lugovoi and Kovtun returned. They did an initial interview from the BRITISH embassy in Moscow – before the Po-210 trail showed up. They actually hid out for a while and did an interview with a german paper before their illness forced them into medical treatment – where they were clearly apprehended. They went silent while the plea deal was written, and then the UK investigators came to Russia. And since they have been talking to the press when they want, but under agreement not to let out details of the investigation.
Now please, why would these two russian agents go to the British Embassy for a media interview???
The FSB officers Lupovoi, Kovtun and Sokolenko left London for Moscow on Nov. 3. Litvinenko got sick the same day he drank their tea, Nov 1, in the evening. They didn’t hide because nobody knew about their existance till Nov. 16 when Litvinenko denounced them as his murderers. They were most probably killed by Putin because they knew too much
aj;
i luvya, but this is ridiculous – you wrote:
“Lugovoi returned to Russia because that was the plan.”
o o o o and you ogt a copy of dat plan, right!?!?
in your MIND that was the “plan” – and nowhere else.
lugovoy would not whack litvinenko and go back to putinland unless he REALLY worked for putin.
the Po trrail follows lugovoy thru europe.
litvinenko believed it was lugovoy BEFORE he croaked.
which would mean that litvinenko (and by extension berezovsky) had MISPLACED their trust in lugovoy.
this a;; adds up.
your theory doesn’t. not at all.
not yet – i’ll grant you, but only ’cause other than this scenario you are GREAT!
Reliapundit,
Get a life will ya? No one forcing you to read this blog. But I will ask you try, you know, to provide something of value to the debate?
You asked, I answered. You don’t like the answer. BFD. That will be the last time I respond to your requests. You wanted a reasonable scenario which fit the question. Now just deal with and stop pretending your omnipotent or something.
don’t be a scumbag about it aj.
your testiness reveals something: i think it reveals that you DO realize that you’ve made a complete asshole out of yourself on this issue.
clarice would agree.
you also project – in your comment/reply to my comment to me: YOU are the one whose argument REQUIRES omnipotence, as when you write about lugovoy’s return to russia being “part of the plan.”
i am not trying to be trollish; i am trying to talk you back to sanity because other than this bizarre theory (WHICH YOU INSIST ON POSTING ON, OVER AND OVER AND OVER), your blog is very sensible and good.
but if you can’t take the heat, then FUCK YOU AND YOUR IDIOTIC THEORY.
LOL! Reliapundit. You are outta here. Come back when you are emotionally mature.
You know what gets me about people like Reliapundit? They expect me to post THEIR views on MY blog. Folks, these are my thoughts and impressions and speculations. And unless someone comes up with a compelling challenge or evidence I tend to stick with them. If you don’t like it, sorry. If you don’t agree, fine. But keep it civil and stop expecting me to be dazzled with all the brilliance. Is it too much to ask?
I don’t think Berezovsky is too worried how he is understood as long as he keeps the ‘Putin did it’ propaganda going. He says as much in his interview.
Lugovoi is a security professional with years of experience and a highly successful business. If he wanted someone ‘handled’ he would have known who to call and there would be no possible connection with himself.
This is why Gordievsky invented the ‘mystery Russian’ story – except he messed it up by getting all the details wrong.
AJ wrote:
‘Why is it we cannot nail down when Litvinenko trailed Po-210 into Berezovsky’s office?’
If it was a frame up – and I’m highly suspicious about this trail – Berezovsky put the marker on his own office furniture. It was there waiting for Lugovoi.
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