UK Lab Traces Polonium To Russian Nuclear Plant 413
reporter writes "British authorities had identified polonium 210 to be the radioactive poison that killed Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy who defected to Great Britain. Now, according to a disturbing report, the authorities have identified the source of the poison to be Russia. Bloomberg ominously reports, 'Scientists at the U.K.'s Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, west of London, have traced the polonium 210 found in London to a nuclear power plant in Russia, the capital's Evening Standard newspaper reported today. Officials at the establishment didn't return calls.' A cold chill just fell on relations between Russia and the West." In another twist to this developing story, the shadowy Italian security consultant who dined with Litvinenko has also fallen ill with radiation poisoning.
And so... (Score:2, Interesting)
A cold chill in relations? (Score:5, Interesting)
An even bigger chill will occur if we get too uppity with Russia about this. As a major supplier of European natural gas, we could be sitting freezing in our homes within a week or two if Russia turned off the taps. We have been on the verge of a gas crisis [blogspot.com] here in the UK for some time now.
Diplomacy cuts both ways, and I dare say the UK government isn't going to push this too far given the energy situation.
Well... (Score:2, Interesting)
I can't see a reason why the Russian government would poison the former spy so long after he defected. The death wasn't exactly instant, so if they were worried about some secret he hadn't told yet this wasn't the way to go.
Also of note is that the Russian government is perfectly aware that we can trace radioactive elements to their source. They also know that if you spray an area with mist then lead your target through the area that the person leading will *also* get sprayed with the same mist.
To me this whole thing seems just a bit wrong... while it was by no means a simple plot, it doesn't seem to have been very well thought out if it was done by the Russian government. Unless of course it *wasn't* done by the Russian government, or even by someone who wants relations between the west and the Russians to deteriorate. I'm not normally a big fan of conspiracy theories and I certainly can't think of anyone who would benefit...
The only logical thing I can think of is a rouge person or small group with a grudge against the former spy.
Re:This is scarier than RFID (Score:2, Interesting)
Could Putin ever be so stupid? (Score:2, Interesting)
If someone wanted only to kill this Litivinenko to silence him, or for revenge, or whatever, there are a million easier and more convert ways to do it. Poisons that are just as effective and less traceable, bullets, hell even a car bomb would have been better. The fact that someone went to all the trouble of using polonium to do the deed makes this either a well funded and stupid assassin, or a well funded assassin whose true ends are much more complicated than simply killing a retired KGB man.
Re:Where is the reactor? (Score:3, Interesting)
Could the guy have been smuggling radioisotopes using the same method as drug mules (condoms full of product) and had an "accident"? Polonium is an alpha emitter, and is thus not dangerous unless absorbed. And a condom would block the alpha particles quite nicely. I'm not sure how bioavailable pure polonium is, but if it were in the form of a salt, I could see it getting absorbed in fatal quantities.
-b.
More like... (Score:2, Interesting)
The neocons prematurely declared victory when the soviets imploded from within with their socialist disaster.
Even more salient is the fact that many of these tribal theocrats that we are fighting in the GWOT are those that our US tax dollars created and propped up ourselves are a counterbalance to the godless commies.
It seems a perfectly valid argument that we never won the cold war, we are still fighting it and paying for it, and war with Eurasia has merely been replaced with a war on East Asia.
UK lab declines to name specific nuclear plant. (Score:5, Interesting)
1. Deadly polonium traced to Russian nuclear plant [thisislondon.co.uk]
2. Plot Thickens as Spy Poison is Traced to a Nuke Plant in Putin's Russia [nypost.com]
The second source suggests that the isotope composition is the signature that identifies a specific power plant. However, the Atomic Weapons Establishment declined to give the location of the plant.
I am sticking to my original guess of the culprit: a renegade group in Russia. Various reports have indicated that numerous factions, answering to no one, operate within the Russian government. One of these factions likely committed the crime.
Putin is just too smart to kill someone in such a blatant way. He would have known that such a gruesome murder would have serious negative consequences.
Is Putin Being Set Up? (Score:1, Interesting)
I like the smell of propaganda in the morning.
Re:Where is the reactor? (Score:3, Interesting)
So who's next? (Score:3, Interesting)
I think people forget the massive loss of face the Russians suffered when communism collapsed. Perhaps the Kremlin want to repair some of that damage and get back to what they believe Russia should be doing, which is running the world and dictating its energy policies. I guess the good news is that the Russians are usually too disorganized and hung-over to be much good at that.
Re:Further clarification (Score:5, Interesting)
This does denote a very sophisticated organization though. Polonium is not easy to obtain, and most people don't think polonium when they want to off someone. As a matter of fact, the method of death often points to the group - everyone's got their favorite methods.
THIS WHOLE ARTICLE IS FUD (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:More like... (Score:5, Interesting)
-b.
The cold war never ended. The soviet empire coming down was a farce [amazon.com] according to KGB agents who defected. Notice that book was published back in 1984.
Russia is slowly getting back onto her feet economically. She paid off the last of her Paris club debt from the Soviet era under Putin. She helped Bush stumble into the Iraqi war by provinding false intellegence [myway.com] much like America did to Russia to lure them into Afghanistan years ago. The spike in oil prices has helped the Russian economy. So why was Litvinenko killed? Well, he was alleged that al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri was trained by the FSB [bbc.co.uk](KGB)in Dagestan in the years before the 9/11 attacks.
The US is still fighting the cold war by proxy, even if they don't realize it.
hes a spy! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:It doesn't much matter.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Ever think they didn't care if it was going to be traced to them? Perhaps the murder of Anna Politkovskaya did not send the message loudly enough that they were trying to get out, It doesn't matter where in the world you hide, you will be killed and it will be painful.
Even with this traced back to Russia, Putin has enough plausible deniability to fend off any criticism from the west at this point. The message however is prettty clear if you've been following who has been shot or posioned in the Russian media lately.
Another reason everybody seems to forget about (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:And so... (Score:3, Interesting)
Hey now wait a second, that is an over-statement.
You are suggesting that this situation is going to blow up into another cold war?
Re:It doesn't much matter.... (Score:4, Interesting)
You know what, about 95% of people in Russia do NOT care about Politovskaya and Litvinenko. Most of reactions in Russian forums and blogs were 'Oh? What?'. Politkovskaya had almost ZERO influence on Russian politics because she supported Chechen militants back in 90s and she is _always_ against the government (she's a nutcase). Few more years and she would slide into oblivion.
Actually, you might say that Politovskaya became popular after her death.
BTW, nobody believes that FSB has killed Litvinenko. They are not that sloppy.
Re:More like... (Score:1, Interesting)
Russia isn't physically capable of trying to compete to become a world power, nor is it on it's way to becoming a European democracy. Right now it's turning into a sort of sultanate, relying on the natural resources present on it's vast territory, to blackmail prodemocratic government in neighboring countries like Ukraine and Georgia and keep themselves in power.
Re:More like... (Score:3, Interesting)
It wouldn't *surprise* me if the hit came from Putin, FSB & Co, I'm just saying that it's not certain. The Russians have a long history of doing rather messy murders of their enemies. (Like Oleg Penskovsky who was a GRU double agent for the Americans - when they caught him, after his trial and death sentence they supposedly burned him alive in an incinerator and showed the film of the execution to all new KGB/GRU recruits to encourage loyalty.)
-b.
Re:Where is the reactor? (Score:2, Interesting)
they also traced the sushi he ate to the ocean... (Score:4, Interesting)
"That's typical" of exotic radioisotopes, he said. "We can't compete with their prices."
Re:Where is the reactor? (Score:3, Interesting)
caused by polonium-210 and lead-210. This comes from the phosphate fertilizer used by all the big tobacco companies.
Another interesting site is http://www.acsa2000.net/HealthAlert/radioactive_t
or just google tobacco and polonium
Re:More like... (Score:3, Interesting)