Russians: Now Using Poison Underpants

[clueliss]

Fiction writers would be laughed out of business for this.  But you know - go figure.

So Alexey Navalny - I believe a rival of Putin's was poisoned.  And likely survived because he was on a plane and said he'd been poisoned and they landed in Germany.  But get this - he then sleuthed around and had a conversation (recorded!) with someone about his own poison.  So we know for a fact that he was poisoned.  And they put the poison on the inside seams of his underwear.  (link does have graphics)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/21/europe/russia-navalny-poisoning-underpants-ward/index.html

 

Quote

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny dupes spy into revealing how he was poisoned

EXCLUSIVE by Tim Lister, Clarissa Ward and Sebastian Shukla, CNN

Updated 2:47 PM ET, Mon December 21, 2020

Moscow (CNN)A Russian agent sent to tail opposition leader Alexey Navalny has revealed how he was poisoned in August -- with the lethal nerve agent Novichok planted in his underpants.

The stunning disclosure from an agent who belonged to an elite toxins team in Russia's FSB security service came in a lengthy phone call following the unmasking of the unit by CNN and the online investigative outfit Bellingcat last week.

In what he was told was a debriefing, Konstantin Kudryavtsev also talked about others involved in the poisoning in the Siberian city of Tomsk, and how he was sent to clean things up.

Konstantin Kudryavtsev revealed he traveled to Omsk in Siberia to try to clean up evidence after Alexey Navalny was poisoned.

But the agent was not speaking to an official in Russia's National Security Council as he thought. He was talking to Navalny himself, who almost died after being poisoned in August.

Navalny has long been a thorn in the side of President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption in high places and campaigning against the ruling United Russia party.

Putin essentially confirmed last week that FSB agents tailed Navalny but said if Russia had wanted him dead, "they would've probably finished it."

Oleg Tayakin opened the door to CNN but closed it as soon as he was asked about his role in tailing Navalny.

The Bellingcat-CNN investigation found that the FSB toxins team of about six to 10 agents trailed Navalny for more than three years. After identifying most of the team, CNN and Bellingcat tried to contact them and their superiors.

One man, Oleg Tayakin, slammed the door shut when questioned by CNN. Others did not respond.

At the same time, Navalny was also making calls. To begin with, he told the agents who he was, and those he contacted immediately ended the call. For the final call to Kudryavtsev, his team decided on a different approach: a sting operation.

How Navalny did it

Navalny, who is still recovering at a secret location in Germany, posed as a senior official from Russia's National Security Council tasked with carrying out an analysis of the poisoning operation. His phone number was disguised as that of the headquarters of the FSB, according to Navalny's team and a recording of the call later provided to CNN and Bellingcat.

After Kudryavtsev confirmed his identity, Navalny said he'd been tasked with getting "a brief understanding from the team members: what went wrong, why was there a complete failure in Tomsk with Navalny?"

Kudryavtsev's responses in the 45-minute call provide the first direct evidence of the unit's involvement in poisoning Navalny.

At times he is clearly apprehensive about talking on an unsecured line but Navalny, speaking at times in a brusque and urgent way, persuades him that senior officials are demanding a report immediately and says that "all of this will be discussed at the Security Council on the highest level."

Alexey Navalny, speaking brusquely and urgently, convinced Kudryavtsev he was an official reviewing the operation.

The FSB on Monday issued a statement claiming that a video of Navalny's conversation with Kudryavtsev, posted by the opposition leader on his YouTube channel, was a "fake" facilitated by foreign intelligence.

"The so-called investigation about actions allegedly taken against him [which was] published online by [Alexey] Navalny is a planned provocation aimed at discrediting the FSB of Russia and employees of the federal security service, which would not have been possible without the organizational and technical support of foreign special services," the statement reads, according to state news agency TASS.

The FSB has launched a "check" of Navalny's investigation and will give "a procedural assessment" following its results, the statement said.

Why underwear was targeted

Most dramatically Kudryavtsev provided a detailed account of how the nerve agent was applied to a pair of Navalny's underpants.

Navalny asked: "What item of clothing was the emphasis on? What is the most risky piece of clothing?"

Kudryavtsev replied simply: "Underpants."

Navalny followed by asking exactly where the Novichok was applied -- the inside or outside seams.

"The insides, the crotch," replied Kudryavtsev.

CNN-Bellingcat investigation identifies Russian specialists who trailed Putin's nemesis Alexey Navalny before he was poisoned

Toxicologists consulted by CNN say that if applied in granular form to clothes, the Novichok would be absorbed through the skin when the victim begins to sweat.

They say that, in this instance, it appears the assailants used a solid form of the nerve agent, rather than a liquid or gel as had previously been detected in the attack against former double agent Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom.

The investigation by Bellingcat and CNN used thousands of phone records plus flight manifests and other documents obtained by Bellingcat to track the team of toxin experts. It established that, on the night the Novichok somehow got into Navalny's hotel room, there was a ping from a cell phone belonging to one of the toxin team, Alexei Alexandrov, just a few hundred yards from the hotel.

Kudryavtsev acknowledged knowing Alexandrov and praised his work.

Unexpected outcome

CNN cannot confirm that Kudryavtsev was also in Tomsk when the poison was applied. But the call showed he had intimate knowledge of what was done and that he was involved in the cleanup operation to ensure there were no traces of Novichok left after Navalny had left the hospital.

Navalny was treated by paramedics within minutes of the unscheduled landing in Omsk.

Navalny fell suddenly ill on a flight home to Moscow and the pilot diverted to Omsk, where he received lifesaving emergency treatment from paramedics.

Had the plane flown on to Moscow, Navalny would almost certainly have died, according to experts in toxicology consulted by CNN.

"The flight is about three hours, this is a long flight," Kudryavtsev said. "If you don't land the plane the effect would've been different and the result would've been different. So I think the plane played the decisive part."

"[We] didn't expect all this would happen. I'm sure that everything went wrong," Kudryavtsev added -- suggesting that the FSB's intent was to kill Navalny, as many toxicologists familiar with Novichok have said.

When pushed as to whether the wrong dose of poison could have been administered, Kudryavtsev countered: "As I understand it, we added [a] bit extra."

The cleanup job

Kudryavtsev's background suggests he is a specialist in chemical and biological weapons. He graduated from the Moscow branch of the Russian Academy of Chemical Defense. Bellingcat has established he later worked at the 42nd center of the Ministry of Defense -- its biological security research center.

The Bellingcat-CNN investigation, that also involved German magazine Der Spiegel and Russian online publication The Insider, had already established through flight manifests that Kudryavtsev had flown to Omsk on August 25, five days after the poisoning.

Putin responds to CNN investigation, does not deny Navalny was tracked 03:36

"When we arrived, they gave them to us, the local Omsk guys brought [them] with the police," Kudryavtsev said on the call. He added they had applied solutions, so that there were no traces left on the clothes.

"So there won't be any surprises with the clothes?" asked Navalny.

"That's why we went there several times," Kudryavtsev replied.

Navalny and his team have several times demanded that his clothes be returned to him, but Russian authorities have refused.

Later, Kudryavtsev says, "I was told to work precisely with the underpants, on the inside."

Navalny asked: "Who said that? Makshakov?"

"Yeah," answered Kudryavtsev.

Stanislav Makshakov is a scientist identified in the investigation as the official in charge of the toxin team, which is based at the FSB's Criminalistics Unit on the outskirts of Moscow. He previously worked as a colonel at the Shikhany Institute, a Soviet and later Russian research institute on chemical weapons.

The investigation published last week established details of the toxin team's communications and travel, which showed they had shadowed Navalny on more than 30 trips outside Moscow since 2017. The data also revealed high-level contacts between the toxin unit and laboratories in Russia specializing in researching nerve agents.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov looks on as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks via video at a news conference. Both have blamed Western intelligence agenices for being involved with Navalny.

Putin and other Russian officials have dismissed the Bellingcat-CNN investigation as part of a campaign orchestrated by Western intelligence agencies. On Friday, Putin said it represented a type of "information warfare" -- describing the investigation as "a dump where everything is being dumped, dumped, dumped in hopes that it will make an impression on the citizens, instill mistrust towards political leadership."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged a surveillance operation on Navalny because of -- as he put it -- "the growing 'ears' of foreign special services."

What the agents, and Navalny, saw

Navalny told CNN Monday that he did not believe the new revelations would lead to an investigation in Russia. "It has become so obvious that it was Putin personally who was behind this," he said.

He added that he was stunned by talking to Kudryavtsev. "I was amazed of course and couldn't believe it," he said. "Simultaneously because of my luck and the way he so routinely says phrases like 'the job was done well.' He clearly does not consider himself a member of an assassination team, just an ordinary employee."

Navalny, here at a demonstration in Moscow in 2019, was very careful on his travels, Kudryavtsev said.

In an almost surreal moment on the call, Navalny commiserated with Kudryavtsev that he had survived.

He went on: "You've been going on so many trips with Navalny -- to Kirov in 2017 -- how do you evaluate his personality?"

"Very careful, scared of everything -- on the one hand," Kudryavtsev replied. "But on the other hand -- he goes everywhere and so on. Changes rooms sometimes, very careful about that."

He was then asked whether Navalny might have recognized any of the toxin team.

"That would be unlikely, we are very strict about that, changing clothes and all," he said, adding that team took different flights when following Navalny across Russia.

Kudryavtsev appears to have been proud of the team's security measures. "No-one filmed, no-one else saw, this is always excluded."

He was almost certainly right in that respect. Navalny told CNN he did not recognize Kudryavtsev or other members of the team when shown their photographs earlier this month. But this investigation has shown that the FSB toxins team from the Institute of Criminalistics left plenty of other evidence of their movements, communications and activities.

Among that evidence, Kudryavtsev's cell phone number -- through which he inadvertently allowed Bellingcat and CNN to complete the picture of Navalny's poisoning by the Russian state.

CNN has reached out to Kudryavtsev, Makshakov and the Kremlin for comment.

CNN's Anna Chernova, Mary Ilyushina and Darya Tarasova contributed to this story.

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by Coconut Flan

[Xan]

Yeah.  I've been sort of following Navalny for a couple of years now.  Bright guy.  He has been doing what he can to oust Putin and Putin keeps retaliating.  Putin has put him in prison, I think, a couple of times now.  It was only a matter of time before he tried to have him killed.   Navalny has tried running against Putin.  If there were ever fair elections there, he might have a chance of winning.

Navalny has made videos (which I am having trouble finding now) about Putin and the oligarchs.  He even connected the dots, at one point, between Trump and Putin.  This was back when Manafort was still involved and Trump was using him to meet with certain oligarchs who then privately reported to Putin.  There was a young woman who had been involved with one of these oligarchs as a plaything/mistress.  She was willing to testify until they started going after her too.  She escaped to another country and has since disappeared from view.  We don't know if she's still alive.

Putin has been trying to get the Magnitsky sanctions overturned.  When Magnitsky was killed, we froze Russian assets in this country.  The oligarchs and Putin want their money back.  As best I can figure, Trump agreed to try to get this overturned.  He has not yet been successful. 

Background (via Wikipedia):

Spoiler

 

In 2009, Russian tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison after investigating a $230 million fraud involving Russian tax officials.  Magnitsky was accused of committing the fraud himself and detained.  While in prison, Magnitsky developed gall stones, pancreatitis and calculous cholecystitis and was refused medical treatment for months. After almost a year of imprisonment, he was allegedly beaten to death while in custody.

Magnitsky's friend Bill Browder, a prominent American-born businessman working extensively in the Russian Federation after the collapse of the USSR, publicized the case and lobbied American officials to pass legislation sanctioning Russian individuals involved in corruption.  Browder brought the case to Senators Benjamin Cardin and John McCain, who proceeded to propose legislation.  (This is another reason Trump hates McCain.  McCain caused trouble for Trump's best buddy, Putin.)

 

Navalny says he plans to return to Russia in the future.  The trouble is, the minute he steps back on Russian soil he isn't safe.  Frankly, he isn't "safe" anywhere.  He's still hidden now somewhere in Germany.  

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by Xan

[47of74]

Some good news out of Boston today...

Quote

A Russian businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin who is accused of being involved in an insider trading and hacking scheme will be detained pending trial, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Monday morning.

The man, Vladislav Klyushin, 41, had sought to be released pending his federal trial in Boston. He proposed a $2.5 million bond comprised of properties in Russia and the U.K., as well as hiring private guards to ensure his presence in court. 

But U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler denied bail, saying Klyushin had "absolutely no incentive to remain in this country.”

"This court is not convinced that a defendant, who is an individual well-versed in sophisticated financial matters, has access to substantial financial resources and absolutely no ties to this country, will appear as required,” Bowler said.

Glad the judge saw through all this.  Yeah if she had released him he would've disappeared into Russia and never returned.  What would have been icing on the cake would have been if the judge had been a fuck face appointee.  That would've driven fuckopotomus up the wall that one of his judges made one of his master's buddies stay in the Graybar Inn for a while.

[Xan]

Putin recently moved his superyacht, "Graceful", from a German shipyard (where it was being upgraded) back to Kaliningrad.  The yacht is 270 ft. long and is valued at somewhere around $100 million.  He was apparently worried that it might get impounded during the negotiations over the invasion of Ukraine.  

It has an indoor pool that can be transformed into a dance floor and a helipad.  The yacht was supposed to have a couple of new balconies installed but that got interrupted by the recent relocation.  I suppose poor little multi-billionaire Vlad will have to make do with his superyacht not having more balconies for a while.

The man has robbed his country blind and he's tried to ruin the USA and every other country that gets in his way.  I hope the damn yacht sinks.

 

Links for pics of the interior:

Spoiler

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10505803/On-board-Putins-73million-superyacht-spotted-sailing-German-shipyard.html

 

[fraurosena]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:29 PM, Xan said:

I hope the damn yacht sinks.

"With him on it," whispered the nasty little devil on my shoulder.

[47of74]

Unlike his predecessor who can't stop drooling over Putin the current SOS is not fucking around.

Quote

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva this week, he announced Tuesday, in the latest sign that diplomatic avenues with Russia over Ukraine are quickly closing.

"Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time," Blinken said at the State Department on Tuesday. "I consulted with our allies and partners -- all agree."

Blinken's announcement comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent and announced he would deploy "peacekeeping" forces there. US President Joe Biden and top US officials said Tuesday that Putin's moves marked the beginning of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Biden announced a first tranche of sanctions in response.

Blinken said he sent a letter to Lavrov on Tuesday to inform him of the decision.

 

[Smash!]

Fuck you Put(a)in! He did it.

I know Switzerland fared very well during WW2 with questionable methods tough so there’s a chance we will be safe. Still kind of wondering if I should bring a move to Australia on the table. My General Anxiety brain is scared. 

[Xan]

I'm sickened with worry about Ukraine.  How in the world can Putin be doing this?  By most accounts, he's gotten paranoid in his declining years.  Is it that he has all the money he'd ever need and now he wants some big achievement like recreating the USSR?  He's more clever than Trump but I think he has the same "burn it all down" mentality.  

He doesn't care how many Russians get killed.  I saw a picture last night of one of the portable crematoriums that have been sent in with the soldiers.  He doesn't want people to see the casualties so they're "disposing" of them as they go.  

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was impressive last night in his speech.  He attempted to talk directly to the Russian people (since he knew their news was mostly propaganda).  He told them that many of them were family and had families in both regions and that he was sure they didn't want war either.  

[fish_ca]

58 minutes ago, Xan said:

 

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was impressive last night in his speech.  He attempted to talk directly to the Russian people (since he knew their news was mostly propaganda).  He told them that many of them were family and had families in both regions and that he was sure they didn't want war either.  

That's correct. Few polish journalists spoke to Russian citizens Asking what do they think about current situation. 

Young people are against any military actions because they already face some difficulties due to former sanctions. Mostly older people who remember Soviet Union and are prone to brainwashing were absolutly supportive and happy because of the Invasion. 

I saw this morning in local news that many of Ukrainians who came here to work are going back to their families to take them down to Poland or to protect country. Zelensky said that anyone who wants to fight will be given a weapon.

[fraurosena]

We're supposed to have learnt from WWII. We're supposed to have anticipated this, and acted preemptively. But no, we've been way too cautious once again, and allowed this tyrant to get away with literal murder and steadily more land-grabbing this last decade. Putin is following Hitler's playbook, and he's not hiding what he's up to. And we stood by and let it happen, again and again. 

And now there's an actual invasion of European soil. I've had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach this whole week, and when I woke the the news early this morning of the military actions in Ukraine, I felt very close to tears-- and that feeling hasn't quite left me even now. 

I'm seriously scared of how this will end.

[Alisamer]

This is frightening.

Also I find myself just not understanding Putin, and Trump, and others like them. Trump makes some sense because I feel like his life is based on a foundation of lies he has to keep up, but Putin?

He's almost certainly the richest man in the world. He's one of the most powerful men in the world. He's getting up there in age. He's got a humongous fancy luxury yacht. Why in the world is he doing this crap, still chasing more power, etc? Like seriously. If I had that kind of money, and that kind of luxury, I'd have retired at my peak and spent the rest of my life relaxing on that yacht, traveling the world, and enjoying everything the world has to offer. I'd graciously hand someone else the office. And if I was as scary as Putin, I'd probably call the next guy up every now and again to remind him who put him in that position just to make sure he stays properly grateful. 

Like how much therapy do these people need to be able to actually enjoy life? It's insane!

[Cartmann99]

Russian troops seize Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian official says

Quote

Russian troops have seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management spokesperson, Yevgeniya Kuznetsovа, tells CNN.

“When I came to the office today in the morning [in Kyiv], it turned out, that the [Chernobyl nuclear power plant] management had left. So there was no one to give instructions or defend," she said.

Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had tweeted that Russian forces were attempting to seize control of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Ukrainian National Guard was working to protect the nuclear plant from attack, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said.

 

[formergothardite]

This is so scary. I’m just grateful Trump isn’t president. I’m seeing a surprising number of republicans I know express outrage at Putin. One even criticized Trump. Maybe people will start to wake up? 

[47of74]

Iowa and Illinois politicians in both parties have responded.  Notably absent is Iowa Governor #CovidKim.  She's probably too busy figuring out how to get away with praising that fuck Putin.

Republicans are falling over each other to condemn the invasion all while forgetting that fuck face and they are all in love with Putin.

[fish_ca]

In Poland people are panicking that fuel will run out shortly and cause queues at petrol stations. 

 

[fish_ca]

Unofficially: Erdogan is expected tomorrow in Poland to discuss with Bucharest Nine Russian attack. Even though Erdogan used to shake hands with Putin often he said that Russia's attack on Ukraine is a "heavy blow" to regional peace and stability. And Erdogan's stance is bad newsnews for Putin.

Edited February 24, 2022 by fish_ca

[fraurosena]

20 minutes ago, fish_ca said:

Unofficially: Erdogan is expected tomorrow in Poland to discuss with Bucharest Nine Russian attack. Even Erdogan used to shake hands with Putin often he said that Russia's attack on Ukraine is a "heavy blow" to regional peace and stability. And Erdogan's stance is bad news to Putin.

Let's hope he puts his money where his mouth is, and that he closes the Bosporus entrance* into the Black sea, thereby cutting off the Russian navy from Crimea. 

*Turkey controls the Bosporus entrance and has this ability.

Edited February 24, 2022 by fraurosena
freaking merged posts!

[Dandruff]

54 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Republicans are falling over each other to condemn the invasion all while forgetting that fuck face and they are all in love with Putin.

I don't trust their talk any more than usual.  Won't be surprised if they end up benefitting in some way from the instability.

[fraurosena]

This is precisely why I'm so scared right now. 

This, on the other hand, it heartening. Even though there have been an estimated 1400 arrests already, the Russian people do not stand united behind Putin's megalomania-- and they're not afraid to show it.

 

[Smash!]

For me the only question is if he stops where the iron curtain used to be or if he goes beyond that.

[47of74]

Jesus Fucking Christ.  Grow a fucking spine already EU leaders

Quote

The EU faced furious remonstrations from Kyiv as Europe’s leaders looked set to hold back from imposing the potentially most damaging sanction on Russia, even as the Kremlin lay siege to Ukraine via land, air and sea.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, voiced his anger as EU heads of state and government appeared likely to decide against blocking Russia from an international payments system through which it receives foreign currency.

With casualties mounting, Kuleba warned that European and US politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they failed to impose the heaviest toll on Moscow by cutting Russia from the so-called Swift payments system.

“I will not be diplomatic on this,” he tweeted. “Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from Swift has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.”

Fuck this noise.  Ban the Russians from SWIFT before that stick of fuck in Moscow decides to cut a swath across Europe. 

[fish_ca]

55 minutes ago, Smash! said:

For me the only question is if he stops where the iron curtain used to be or if he goes beyond that.

Everyone asks the same question here. 

We all are happy being part of  NATO but is that enough to stay safe? 

[Xan]

11 hours ago, Alisamer said:

Also I find myself just not understanding Putin, and Trump, and others like them. Trump makes some sense because I feel like his life is based on a foundation of lies he has to keep up, but Putin?

Other people are writing about this and the general thought is that the idea of a democratic Ukraine right on his border scares Putin shitless.  The one thing he fears is an uprising of the people.  If they have family members in Ukraine talking about how great life is, that might transfer over to the standard Russian wondering why Putin hasn't improved the conditions of their own lives.  Once you make it to the top, you have to keep looking over your shoulder and worrying about those villagers with the pitchforks and torches.  Additionally, the Russians are keen on poisoning enemies.  I bet he has someone tasting his food now and he probably worries about his laundry and bedding.  Anyone who gets close could be a paid assassin.  I'm personally glad that he's probably crazy paranoid now.  He earned it.

Navalny's trial went on today and he used his time to say that the Russian people didn't want the war and that it was just being used to cover up the robbery of the Russian citizens.  He's not wrong.  I continue to be impressed with his courage and determination.

[molecule]

I live in a very small midwestern village smack dab in the middle of farming country. Last year a Ukrainian family moved to town. I've been thinking about how hard this must be for them, especially since there are no other Ukrainians nearby who can commiserate with them. I'm hoping to bake some goodies for them this weekend so they know someone is thinking about them. 

[Dandruff]

30 minutes ago, molecule said:

I live in a very small midwestern village smack dab in the middle of farming country. Last year a Ukrainian family moved to town. I've been thinking about how hard this must be for them, especially since there are no other Ukrainians nearby who can commiserate with them. I'm hoping to bake some goodies for them this weekend so they know someone is thinking about them. 

Any idea why they moved to the middle of farming country vs. a more diverse urban area where acclimating might be easier?