The published Report (21 January 2016) of the inquiry, chaired by Sir Robert Owen, into the 2006 murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, has sent shockwaves throughout the world.
"Taking full account of all the evidence and analysis available to me, I find that the FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin," Sir Robert wrote." (BBC News : 21 January 2016) (my emphasis)
"[Sir Robert] Owen said the method of killing, with radioactive poison, fit with the deaths of several other opponents of Putin and his government, and noted that Putin had "supported and protected" Lugovoi since the killing, even awarding him a medal for service to the nation." (FirstPost (Associated Press) : Jan 22, 2016) (my emphasis)
This findings of Sir Robert Owen has pulled the rug out from under the feet of Putin's assiduously cultivated image of himself since his days as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg in 1992.
Putin's inner-circle clan members, Boris Gryzlov (left), a real Kremlin heavyweight recently appointed as Moscow’s representative to peace talks about Ukraine, and Vladislav Surkov (right), another close adviser to Putin who recently held talks about the implementation of Minsk2 with Victoria Nuland, will now have difficulty in presenting Putin as anything other than a 'murderer' of political opponents.
The 'macho' image of Putin has been universally shattered, and will have a direct effect on those who have to deal with him on the international stage.
It is not so much that Putin has had one of his opponents murdered, as in the case of Boris Nemtsov or Anna Politkovskaya, but rather that the murder of Litvinenko took place in London rather than in Russia itself.
And Putin's executors of Litvinenko's murder are currently living in Moscow under the protection of Putin himself.
One is here reminded of the murder of Leon Trotsky in Mexico by Stalin's assasins all those years ago.
This international exposing of Putin as a murderer, whilst the 2016 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos is still taking place, and at which Holly Ellyat reports that,
"[Natalie] Jaresko said Crimea's annexation was still a raw topic for Ukraine and that the country's president was keen to keep the spotlight on Crimea. "(The Ukrainian president) recently held a press conference where he talked about trying to begin a dialogue so that Crimea doesn't fall off the agenda, because this has never fallen off the agenda for Ukraine," she said." (CNBC : 21 January,2016) (my emphasis)
will now internationally present Putin's annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in a different light.
It is now not merely Putin who annexed Ukrainian Crimea, but rather Putin 'the murderer' who did it.
Furthermore, given the fact that last Friday (15 January, 2016) one could almost hear Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, pushing Putin's agenda,
"...for assurances over some form of enhanced autonomy (Kosovo-style) or a federal-style solution [for eastern Ukraine] – which are still clearly unacceptable to Kyiv." (Timothy Ash : KyivPost : Jan. 18, 2016) (my emphasis),
we now has to wonder that whatever Nuland and Surkov may have agreed upon at this meeting, where they discussed the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements in Ukraine, and that took place behind closed doors in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, may come to haunt Victoria Nuland.
Victoria Nuland now treads a very thin line, lest she falls into the same trap as did Neville Chamberlain who, after his meeting with Hitler, waved that piece of paper exclaiming, "peace for our time", and which was shortly followed by Hitler's invasion of Poland and WWII.
Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, may have been all "compromise and promising" over the full implementation of Minsk2 at their private meeting in Kaliningrad.
But now the words of Sir Robert Owen, like the Sword of Damocles, hangs over her head.
(to be continued)
"Taking full account of all the evidence and analysis available to me, I find that the FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin," Sir Robert wrote." (BBC News : 21 January 2016) (my emphasis)
"[Sir Robert] Owen said the method of killing, with radioactive poison, fit with the deaths of several other opponents of Putin and his government, and noted that Putin had "supported and protected" Lugovoi since the killing, even awarding him a medal for service to the nation." (FirstPost (Associated Press) : Jan 22, 2016) (my emphasis)
This findings of Sir Robert Owen has pulled the rug out from under the feet of Putin's assiduously cultivated image of himself since his days as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg in 1992.
Putin's inner-circle clan members, Boris Gryzlov (left), a real Kremlin heavyweight recently appointed as Moscow’s representative to peace talks about Ukraine, and Vladislav Surkov (right), another close adviser to Putin who recently held talks about the implementation of Minsk2 with Victoria Nuland, will now have difficulty in presenting Putin as anything other than a 'murderer' of political opponents.
The 'macho' image of Putin has been universally shattered, and will have a direct effect on those who have to deal with him on the international stage.
It is not so much that Putin has had one of his opponents murdered, as in the case of Boris Nemtsov or Anna Politkovskaya, but rather that the murder of Litvinenko took place in London rather than in Russia itself.
And Putin's executors of Litvinenko's murder are currently living in Moscow under the protection of Putin himself.
One is here reminded of the murder of Leon Trotsky in Mexico by Stalin's assasins all those years ago.
This international exposing of Putin as a murderer, whilst the 2016 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos is still taking place, and at which Holly Ellyat reports that,
"[Natalie] Jaresko said Crimea's annexation was still a raw topic for Ukraine and that the country's president was keen to keep the spotlight on Crimea. "(The Ukrainian president) recently held a press conference where he talked about trying to begin a dialogue so that Crimea doesn't fall off the agenda, because this has never fallen off the agenda for Ukraine," she said." (CNBC : 21 January,2016) (my emphasis)
will now internationally present Putin's annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in a different light.
It is now not merely Putin who annexed Ukrainian Crimea, but rather Putin 'the murderer' who did it.
Furthermore, given the fact that last Friday (15 January, 2016) one could almost hear Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, pushing Putin's agenda,
"...for assurances over some form of enhanced autonomy (Kosovo-style) or a federal-style solution [for eastern Ukraine] – which are still clearly unacceptable to Kyiv." (Timothy Ash : KyivPost : Jan. 18, 2016) (my emphasis),
we now has to wonder that whatever Nuland and Surkov may have agreed upon at this meeting, where they discussed the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements in Ukraine, and that took place behind closed doors in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, may come to haunt Victoria Nuland.
Victoria Nuland now treads a very thin line, lest she falls into the same trap as did Neville Chamberlain who, after his meeting with Hitler, waved that piece of paper exclaiming, "peace for our time", and which was shortly followed by Hitler's invasion of Poland and WWII. Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, may have been all "compromise and promising" over the full implementation of Minsk2 at their private meeting in Kaliningrad.
But now the words of Sir Robert Owen, like the Sword of Damocles, hangs over her head.
(to be continued)
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