Russian Spy Poisoning Saga

**pete** · 03/12/2006, 10:21 PM

BBC

Certainly one of the strangest stories in recent years. Has added polonium-210 as conversation topic amoung the masses.

**Lim till i die** · 04/12/2006, 9:51 AM

Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn

So sick of this, I firmly believe it's such a big news story because there's a new James Bond film out

I mean really, who cares

**Aberdonian Stu** · 05/12/2006, 3:17 PM

You're taking the mick right? I mean this is such a mess for so many people, of course it's newsworthy.

**Lim till i die** · 05/12/2006, 4:05 PM

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

You're taking the mick right? I mean this is such a mess for so many people, of course it's newsworthy.

No, I'm deadly serious

Genuinely couldn't care less

Loads of things are newsworthy. This is plastered EVERYWHERE

War in the Middle East, Castro on his death-bed and Sky expect me to give a toss about a few russkies playing silly buggers

No thanks

**Aberdonian Stu** · 05/12/2006, 4:17 PM

Russia is a major world power, in case you haven't noticed. When an ex-spy with said power dies investigating another death and both deaths are murky and linked to the government, of a major world power, then it's a tad juicy.

I'm not starting some conspiracy argument over who and why he was killed but given the nature of the murder it screams the question cui bono?

There are quite a few potential motives. Makes it juicy, especially given the current geopolitical ramifications (not directly from the death but other matters surrounding).

**pete** · 05/12/2006, 4:44 PM

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Makes it juicy, especially given the current geopolitical ramifications (not directly from the death but other matters surrounding).

If Russia was proven to be responsible would be interesting to see what the Uk would do. Considering Russia such a major oil & gas supplier its not as if there would be sanctions.

**dfx-** · 05/12/2006, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Has added polonium-210 as conversation topic amoung the masses.

And amongst science-y people

What an utterly stupid poison to pick..I mean seriously..there's loads of poisons that would be more difficult to trace, but no use a rare, difficult to produce radioactive element...

The culprits may as well have left a signature and a confession.

**Aberdonian Stu** · 06/12/2006, 10:30 AM

Don't be so quick to judge. The Economist had a solid list of possibilities, use of this particular poison raises far more questions than it answers.

**Lim till i die** · 06/12/2006, 1:07 PM

Originally Posted by pete

If Russia was proven to be responsible would be interesting to see what the Uk would do. Considering Russia such a major oil & gas supplier its not as if there would be sanctions.

Exactly

I'd imagine the British reaction would be somewhere between bluster and shag all

**slig0** · 06/12/2006, 2:48 PM

You're so many talk about this incidental, it's astonished! For example, in Russia talk about this only TV & thats all.

**dfx-** · 06/12/2006, 4:24 PM

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Don't be so quick to judge. The Economist had a solid list of possibilities, use of this particular poison raises far more questions than it answers.

I wonder how many of your average assassins go round with a large sample of polonium-210 on them - bought from their local nuclear and radioactive material supplier (on the black market with no state input of course..

)

The next book in the series will have to be called 'Assassinations For Dummies' - what not to do..

**Student Mullet** · 06/12/2006, 4:29 PM

Originally Posted by d f x-

I wonder how many of your average assassins go round with a large sample of polonium-210 on them - bought from their local nuclear and radioactive material supplier (on the black market with no state input of course..

)

The next book in the series will have to be called 'Assassinations For Dummies' - what not to do..

I saw an interview with someone who said it was as likely to have been done by an enemy of Russia to drop them into trouble because so much evidance was left behind implecating them.

**dfx-** · 06/12/2006, 4:54 PM

I'm not saying it was one state or another, but whoever it was is minimising the possible culprits automatically by what they used. Wouldn't Thallium do the job..or Arsenic or even Potassium..

What I mean is if any poison was used to kill, automatic suspicion goes to Russia....so why use something that's radioactive, difficult to obtain, difficult to identify in the first place and difficult to possess in sufficient quantities?

You'd have to be hell-bent and utterly stupid. Or be Russia.

**Aberdonian Stu** · 11/12/2006, 5:16 PM

Most people with an interest in his death would be Russian, not all would be Putinites. There are several twists to this inside of Moscow never mind outside parties with an interest.

Also the "stupid or Russia" argument misses one obvious side, "smart and trying to look like Russia".

I don't know who killed Litivenko, I know you're all stunned by that. I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories either and that's why I won't point the finger at one party when there are so many who may have benefitted.

We need Poirot and Holmes to team up to solve this one.

**dfx-** · 11/12/2006, 5:38 PM

How can you be smart using radioactive material to get at Russia? Using Thallium would've been smart or virtually any other normal poison and quite possibly unproveable that it was anyone other Russia.

How many countries have access to sufficient quantities of radioactive material, never mind polonium? That minimises any list of suspects to 15 or so..presumably take away Britain, India and Pakistan and maybe Israel out of that and you're getting to a very low level of suspects and increasing the chance of being caught significantly..I'm sure a lot of police forces would love the amount of suspects to be no greater than 10-15 in an investigation.

**Aberdonian Stu** · 11/12/2006, 11:34 PM

The points I was making was that:

(a) It could be Russians getting at Russians
or
(b) Someone trying to send some kind of a message or making it look like Russia is sending a message.

Bottom line is that for us to assume rationality on the part of others is one of the most irrational things we can do.

**Student Mullet** · 11/12/2006, 11:38 PM

You're saying it's a bit like a game of scissors, paper, stone?

"They think that you think that they're going to think that we think that Russia did it."

**pete** · 11/12/2006, 11:55 PM

Polonium 210 is an ingredient in cigarettes

I heard they were going to use this as anti moking advertising campaign but wer refused...

**Aberdonian Stu** · 12/12/2006, 3:42 PM

Originally Posted by Student Mullet

You're saying it's a bit like a game of scissors, paper, stone?

"They think that you think that they're going to think that we think that Russia did it."

Close enough. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't jump to conclusions.