Reminder: There Is A Body Trail
It's a very dangerous time to know things Putin and Trump don't want you to know. Below are six Russian diplomats, one former KGB general, a witness against the state in a Russian corruption case, a Ukranian relative of Trump's lawyer rumored to set up a secret meeting with Russia regarding Crimea, and a former Russian MP who was very outspoken against Putin. The list:
1. November 8, 2016: Sergei Krivov, age 63, believed to be the Consulate Duty Commander, died at Russian consulate in New York. After initial reports suggested trauma, police deemed he died of natural causes.
2. December 19, 2016: Andrei Karlov, age 62, Russian Ambassador to Turkey shot publicly in Ankara. It is believed he was assassinated in protest of Russia's involvement in Syria.
3. December 19, 2016: Peter Polshikov, age 56, senior figure in the Latin American department of the Russian foreign ministry, was shot in the head in his apartment in Moscow.
4. December 26, 2016: Oleg Erovinkin, age 61, was not a diplomat but was a former KGB/FSB general, a current Top Rosneft executive, former deputy head of personnel for the protection of state secrets under Yeltsin, and alleged information source of Rosneft kickbacks in the Donald Trump–Russia dossier. He was found dead in the back seat of his car in Moscow and the cause of death is unknown.
5. January 9, 2017: Andrey Malanin, age 55, head of the Consular Department at Russia's embassy in Greece, was found dead at his apartment in Athens. He reportedly died of natural causes.
6. January 27, 2017: Alexander Kadakin, age 67, Russian Ambassador to India died reportedly of heart failure in New Delhi.
7. Feburary 26, 2017: Vitaly Churkin, age 64, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations for over a decade died also reportedly of heart failure the day before his birthday in New York.
8. March 2, 2017: Alex Oronov, age 69, neither a Russian nor a diplomat but he bears mentioning. He was a native Ukranian, naturalized American millionaire and had family ties (father of an in-law) to Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen. Reports are circulating he set up a secret meeting with Russian officials regarding Crimea. I have not found any reports on where or how he died.
9. March 21, 2017: Nikolai Gorokhov, age 53, lawyer of a late Russia whisteblower Sergei Magnitsky fell from his fourth floor apartment in what is reported by Russian media as an accident involving a bathtub installation. Gorkohov was set to argue new evidence for Magnitsky the following day March 22, in Moscow. Gorokohov was also a key witness in a US trial set to start in May and formerly handled by Preet Bharara against a company owned by Cyprus bank. He is currently in the ICU with severe head injuries. ETA: He is reportedly in stable condition and lucid.
10. March 23, 2017: Denis Voronenkov, age 45, former Russian member of parliament and harsh critic of Putin who had fled to Ukraine in October was publicly assassinated with two shots to the head in the capital city of Kiev.
Links:
Axios: Russian diplomats keep dying unexpectedly
Two cases that are a little clearer: In 2006, former KGB officer and whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium. Six years later, whistleblower Alexander Perepilichny died from a toxin while jogging in England, per the NYT report.
CNBC: Lawyer for Russian whistleblower's family falls out of apartment building before court date
A series of electronic communications, known as the Pavlov Leaks, had been uncovered and it showed collusion of individuals responsible for the fraud case that Magnitsky uncovered, the release alleged. Members of the Klyuev crime syndicate and police officers were involved, the release claimed.
Gorokhov is also a key witness in the U.S. government's case against Prevezon Holdings, a Cyprus company owned by Denis Katsyv, son of senior Russian official Petr Katsyv, the release said. The trial, scheduled to begin on May 15th, is in relation to Prevezon's alleged money laundering that Magnitsky discovered, the release continued.
Former New York attorney Attorney Preet Bharara was handling the Prevezon affair before President Donald Trump fired him.
Crooks and Liars: EIGHTH Russian Connected To Trump Found Dead
GQ: In the Last Six Months, a Number of Russian Officials Have Reportedly Died Unexpectedly
The Independent: Unexpected deaths of six Russian diplomats in four months triggers conspiracy theories
It was initially reported that Mr Churkin may have suffered a heart attack, but following an autopsy medical examiners said the death required further study.
Media company Axios note that not only is Mr Churkin’s death unexplained, but it is also remarkably similar to the deaths of Russia’s Ambassador to India on 27 January, the country’s consul in Athens on 9 January, and a Russian diplomat in New York on US election day, 8 November.
The three other deaths were all also labelled “heart attacks” or the result of “brief illnesses”.
The Independent: Ukranian businessman with links to Donald Trump and Russia dies in unexplained circumstances
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.
...
The [Facebook] 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.”
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!”
Jalopnik: How Russia's Critics Keep Ending Up Dead (Or Almost Dead)
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Though there is a difference between the U.S. and Russia. Where Americans may feel despair in their justice system, many Russians have simply given up. As flawed as America’s justice system is, it is nowhere near as bad as the one Russians have to endure. America has its own issues with unfair court systems and police brutality—look at the Black Lives Matter movement and other protests that have sprung up in recent years attempting to address this very problem—but Americans do believe the process, flaws and all, can work for them if they force it to. In Russia, not so much.
We also have to keep in mind that political opposition here in the U.S won’t get you jailed and killed. In Russia, it is sadly common. There is nothing commonplace about top political leadership being murdered just blocks from the White House. The U.S. may not be perfect, but its civil society is much more intact than Russia’s by any measure—and Russia’s is so damaged that we may never see an end to the killings.
Mic: At least 7 Russian officials have turned up dead since Election Day. Here's what we know.
In December, Petr Polshikov, a senior Russian diplomat who served as the chief adviser to the Latin American department at the ministry, was found dead in his Moscow home with a bullet wound in his head. Hours later, Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, was assassinated at an Ankara, Turkey, art gallery by a Turkish police officer, apparently in response to Russia's involvement in Syria. There is no evidence that the two shootings were related, according to the Independent.
NBC News: It's Dangerous To Be A Russian Official These Days
npr: Former Russian Lawmaker Is Shot To Death Outside Hotel In Kiev
The killing has the "handwriting" of the Russian special services, Poroshenko said in a statement Thursday. According to a translation by Reuters, he said Voronenkov's murder was "an act of state terrorism on the part of Russia, which he was forced to leave for political reasons."
Reuters: Lawyer of dead Russian whistleblower injured after fall from window
Gorokhov had been due to represent Magnitsky's family at a court hearing on Wednesday linked to a $230 million tax fraud case that they say Magnitsky was killed for exposing in 2009.
News agency Interfax quoted an unnamed source saying the lawyer fell while trying to winch a bath up to an attic with some workers.
But Magnitsky's former employer, William Browder, said Gorokhov was "thrown from the fourth floor of his apartment building ... and is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Botkin hospital in Moscow with severe head injuries."
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