Jan 30 2007

Kovtun Creams UK Media

I had to laugh at all those who claimed that Litvinenko’s murderer was caught on CTV cameras at Heathrow arriving with Dmitri Kovtun as he came into London to meet Lugovoi and Litvinenko. Let me hand it over to Dmitri:

RT: Mr Kovtun, some British media also quote the former KGB agent Gordievsky who claims you were accompanied by an identified Asiatic man when you arrived to London. What can you say in this respect?

Dmitry Kovtun: I’ve heard about this version. But exclusively for your channel I am going to break the news: I was not alone. Apart from me and the crew, there were some 15 to 20 other passengers. It’s quite possible there was a man of Asian descent. But if, according to the British press reports, this Asian man landed in Heathrow airport, all the rest of the passengers, including myself, arrived at Gatwick. As for Oleg Gordievsky, all of what he says is nonsense. The only reliable source can be Scotland Yard. But the investigation didn’t issue any statement. Everything that Gordievsky shares with the British media he reads in Dutch and German newspapers, and he admitted it himself in one of his interviews.

Too funny. So Dmitri Kovtun and the rest of the plane’s passengers landed in Gatwick (which makes sense for anyone travelling from the mainland to London). So all the reporting about a man travelling with Kovtun to Heathrow from Hamburg is pure fiction. So why the fantasy?

17 responses so far

17 Responses to “Kovtun Creams UK Media”

  1. per says:

    absolutely spot on, AJ. Some people will take any old rubbish they see in the press, and come up with most barmy theories ! How ridiculous is that !

    I am looking forward to see whether a dossier is passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, and how they decide to proceed.

    per

  2. herzhonour says:

    Sure, the plane lands at both airports at the same time letting
    Kovtun deplane at Gatwick, and the rest deplane at Heathrow.
    That is as plausible as a radioactive tea pot floating around a
    hotel for weeks without detection. It might have been invisible
    ’cause it was used to make tea ‘russian’ style.
    If they can make the murder story ‘stick’, the authorities are
    hoping the curious will stop asking about the rest of the PO 210.
    It must be awfully embarrassing to the KeyStoneKopps (russian
    super secret agents) to have screwed up so badly.

  3. herzhonour says:

    Test

  4. burtsev says:

    Another interesting moment in this interview is that the Moscow News showed no interest whatsoever to this begging remark by Mr. Kovtun:

    “But there were attempts — not from us, not from the Prosecutor’s office — to hamper the investigation. ”

    Why are they so uncurious? This reminds me of a similar situation in the very beginning of this “investigation” when Lugovoi gave his first interview to the “liberal” Echo of Moscow radio, close to Berezovsky and Nevzlin. Back then Lugovoi mentioned Mr. Goldfarb as a “very interesting personality.” It was obvious that he expected to be asked to explain. But the interviewer showed no interest in learning what was so interesting about him.

    Overall, everything I heard about this case for the last week or two confirms that the “investigation” is in a big trouble and they do not know how to get out of it without some scandalous revelations.

  5. Carol_Herman says:

    Scotland Yard? Since Detective Skipper died, there’s been no great detective work out of those screaming idiots! More likely? They’ve been co-opted by the muzzies. Just as tin lizzy’s big eared prince charlie is a convert to islam. You don’t know this? See if I care?

    Litvinenko ENDED a smuggling run! He did so by somehow injesting the very crap he was “entrusted” to bring with him, to market. To sell.

    Will others succumb?

    Across Europe there’s a good chance cancers will break out in higher numbers among the MIDDLE CLASS. Do you know why this is so?

    The muzzies can’t win unless they undercut the country they are taking over by birthing so many mohamet’s, along with future breeding goats. IT IS NOT ENOUGH!

    To totally push the socialists into the sea, I’d bet money on a plan that decimates the “young.” Those between 18 and 44. Because like it or not, if you can keep the elderly alive, there won’t be money coming in through taxes to “provide for them.” That’s the price the europeans will pay for the benefits from modern medicine; and vacinnation programs.

    That’s about the best “plans” the mosque dwellers can raise.

    And, you’ll notice that Litvinenko went out without a “big bomb.” Not even an open suitcase did this to him. But a “phfft.” That escaped. And, sent alpha particles floating around.

    You bet. He could have killed himself just by picking his nose.

    But it’s now PRICELESS information; that russia has lined herself up against the WEST. While her corpse keeps deteriorating.

    What goes first? Plugs of russians, stationed in freedoms lands? Or the turbaned idiots, who are clueless about the nature of “push back?”

    Yes. There can be a “day after” the collapse of europe. And, the push back that comes from the “streets.” Won’t look like a bunch of old geezers parading around with Jane Fonda, either.

    And, if Jane Fonda’s so hot, how come she’s not being handed any starring roles in da’ movies? If she’s so talented she gets the crowds to roar, then she “soitlenly” can restart her dead career. But first? She’d have to breathe life into it. Otherwise? She can hold a seance. Those are very popular with those that eschew scientific details.

    Why is our media worse now than ever before? Because part of America’s political traditions, were to have “music” from both camps. Left and right. Toodled off the battlefields when the left recovered Nixon’s head.

    But hasn’t toodled completely. There is US. The Silent Majority. Gifted with reading skills. And, now even men who can type.

  6. Snapple says:

    According to media reports, the hotel brought tea in a pot to the room, but there was a guy in the room named Vladislav who had a kettle of water. He gave Litvinenko the tea.

    Real debate does not need to misrepresent what others say. I simply pointed out that if the polonium was in the teapot, it may have been diluted considerably in the cup by adding water. This might explain very different concentrations between the cup and pot.

    I believe that Litvinenko mentioned this Vladislav, even if the KGB agents in Moscow don’t.

    Kovtun seems to be focusing on the possibility that the wrong airport was mentioned. This is not exactly a denial of the charge that Kovtun travelled with the Asian-looking hit man. The KGB operative Kovtun doesn’t deny that someone was with him, does he? He just distracts attention with his joke about the airport.

    Here is an interesting claim:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/3946432a12.html

  7. Snapple says:

    Kovtun makes his airport joke and he belittles Gordievsky.
    But he doesn’t deny the substance of the question–that he was with another guy. I think he is spinning.

  8. BarbaraS says:

    You make assumption, after assumption, many of which are wrong. Why are you so eager to deny the obvious; that Litvinenko was murdered ? Can you not see that a state that has such few scruples about one of its citizens, will have the same scruples for them all ?

    So is everyone else involved in this case including the media.

    absolutely spot on, AJ. Some people will take any old rubbish they see in the press, and come up with most barmy theories ! How ridiculous is that

    How snarky can you get?

    Kovtun seems to be focusing on the possibility that the wrong airport was mentioned. This is not exactly a denial of the charge that Kovtun travelled with the Asian-looking hit man. The KGB operative Kovtun doesn’t deny that someone was with him, does he? He just distracts attention with his joke about the airport.

    I believe that Kovtun was pointing out the the media gets little correct and Gordievsky is lying. Other than that, I doubt he is interested in helping solve this case in any way. It is in his best interest not to no matter what the solution is.

  9. Snapple says:

    The Russians also claim this was a murder–not a smuggling attempt gone bad; but the Russian prosecutor claims that a former Yukos executive named Nevzlin was involved.

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2556377,00.html

    QUOTE:

    Yuri Chaika, the Prosecutor-General in Moscow, has accused Mr Nevzlin of involvement in Litvinenko’s death, a charge dismissed by the former Yukos number two. Mr Nevzlin told The Times how Litvinenko flew to Israel shortly before he was poisoned to warn him about a plan by the Kremlin to claw back millions of pounds from exiled Yukos executives through a covert campaign of intimidation and murder.

    At least a dozen former Yukos personnel have been given asylum in Britain. Three attempts by the authorities in Moscow to have them sent back to Russia were blocked by the English courts.

    All these executives are understood to be on the list of people the Russian investigators want to question in their murder inquiry.

    Mr Chaika added to the intrigue this week by announcing that Moscow had “evidence of attempts to poison several witnesses in the Yukos case with mercury”.

  10. Snapple says:

    Kovtun NEVER denied the main charge the reporter confronted him with. He NEVER denied that there was a Central Asian man with him on this plane.

    Instead he diverted attention by belittling Gordievsky and claiming that the media may have assumed Heathrow airport was meant.

    Lovtun NEVER said the media was wrong about this Central Asian travel companion.

    This suggests to me that the British may indeed have pictures of this Asian travelling companion.

  11. reliapundit says:

    FACT: ONLY putinistes could get the polonium in russia without actually paying for it.

    NONE of the other potential murderers would spend20-50 million bucks to kill a guy that couldabin shot.

    ONLY a ruthless dictator running a ruthless state would want to use polonium – in order to send a powerful message to ALL its former KGB agents.

    if the poisoning was accidental/incidental then kovtun and lugovoy would have fled russia. (or never returned.)

    the only rational explanation is state-sponsored murder.

  12. Carol_Herman says:

    You know what’s stupid? Thinking a trained russian agent would accept a cup of tea, and be the only one in the room drinking it.

    Yeah. Russians really trust each other!

    Sorry, men are more likely to pick their noses. And, if something makes their nose run? Did you know why there are buttons on sleeve-jackets? Go ahead. Take a guess. It was to put the buttons UP on the wearer’s nose. so he’d be uncomfortable enough to drop his arm. And, take out his hanky. (And, then? Hankies became decorator items. So a man wouldn’t forget to carry one; it’s up there in a “special jacket pocket.” Rather than using your coat sleeve? (And, this all came about before Kleenex was invented.)

    But some people are taking conjecture to the limits. Suddenly, bull shit becomes “fact.” Good luck to ya. You’ve solved nothing. And, you’re still without a motive.

    Let alone a motive that moves tens of millions of dollars through bank accounts.

    You want conjecture? I think there’s a pocket of good guys out there; that when the bad guys line up materials that can hurt innocent civilians? They tamper with shipments. And, then they disappear into that good night. None of them work for the CIA. None work in London, either. As to the italians? Somehow, spreading through the grapevine, along came Scaramella. And, Litvinenko shared some “quality time” with him, before he scarfed down raw fish. But he still felt chipper.

    Very few people go from being healthy to dying of cancer within two weeks. That’s the “newcomer” to this story. Though in russia? All those nice chaps that showed up to douse the fire at Chernobyl? I doubt they’re still alive. And, unlike Nagasaki and Heroshima, which saw atomic bombs. Chernobyl was a fire. Set off by incompetence. And, you can’t go there, no how. Still. And, that’s what the bad guys (the terrorists) have gotten an idea they’d like to do.

    Now, where would you go to shop this around?

    The last big endeavor? Brought muzzies to flying schools. For their “kill?” They used American commercial aircraft, full of innocent passengers.

    And, when 9/11 “raised consciousness?” Bush ordered all incoming traffic to ALL airports in the USA, shut down. Did you know that the muzzies thought they had a hundred planes lined up? And, more targets off Osama’s drawing board, too.

    It’s the people who drop dead who are the keys to this puzzle. The other russians? You think you get reports that are truthful? Even about the kidlings of Kotvun? Russia is even better at bullshit, than she is at poetry.

    “State sponsored murder.” Yes. Putin would love to see England destroyed. Not sure you can design something so complex. But if you could begin by killing off 60,000 or more MEN. All of working ages. From 18 to 45. It would become the biggest threat to an otherwise wobbly socialist system. (Something Putin is well aware of.) So you want a race? He’d like to see the West collapsing first.

    Doesn’t mean he killed Litvinenko. And, doesn’t mean you’ll ever get a PR agent to give you the truth. But pretty pictures? Sure thang.

    After awhile, if you’ve been lied to enough, you discount all the games. While reputations are piling up at Libby’s gate. In case you thought media freaks are truth tellers.

  13. Snapple says:

    I agree with Reliapundit.

    Kovtun’s whole performance was a classic KGB disinformation operation.

    It is possible they meant to send a message, but they may have believed that nobody would test for polonium.

    People are often poisoned in Russia. I think often it goes undiscovered unless the people are very educated and have access to independent medical opinion.

    Putin is angry that Western leaders have not accepted what he has done in Chechnya as part of the “War on Terrorism.”

  14. Snapple says:

    BarbaraS–

    I think that AJ, you and some others are falling into a classic Russian propaganda trap.

    Gordievsky secretly worked for the British intelligence from inside the KGB for a long time. When the Russians got suspicious they called him home and interrogated him. The British sneaked him out of Russia.

    He gave the west a lot of valuable information. He was a very important defector–the highest KGB guy to ever defect.

    These well-educated KGB guys sometimes become disenchanted with the system because they see it up close and know how it works.
    And they defect.

    Gordievsky has written a number of books that detail KGB operations.

  15. Carol_Herman says:

    Germany just joined the list of countries out to destroy America. (Yet, again.)

    How so? Go to Drudge. A German judge has issued subpeonas against 13 CIA agents, for “capturing” a muzzy. So you see? Muzzies are protected in europe.

    Some day? Something blows up. But it won’t have the sound of a bomb.

    Just a lot of garbage finally hitting the radar screen.

    Litvinenko, in by book? Just an ordinary nose-picker. Probably more guilt than Oswald. (Though back in those days, given that the russians probably had a wiff of the CIA’s plans, to dispense with Kennedy; chose to conveniently place Zapruder at Dealey Plaza. I never did buy into the idea he was just a hobbiest with a camera. But it dawned on me, that back in those days? The CIA wouldn’t have minded a smear that caused us to go to war with the Soviets.)

    You’ll notice that it’s rather haphazard to plan clandestine stuff and have it as “accurate a hit” as assassinating Archduke “what was his name?”

    Times change. One lucky shot? Always possible.

    Two in a row?

    You must be kidding me that the HOUSE OF SAUD can come up with purchasing something so diabolical they actually reach first base.

    But killing “infidels?” Heck, you should see their purchasing powers. And, what’s they willingly fork millions over for. While russia and germany? Pure hatred motivates their elites.

    And, we need to be constantly on guard.

    (Which is why the “accident” to Litvinenko was either a diliberate way of getting to those “containers.” Or just dumb luck for us.)

    Also. If you just use the Civil War history lesson; as the war went on and on. Due to the incompetence of the people Lincoln trusted. You’d notice that the Union folk got angrier and angrier. So when 1864 was rolling to an end? Slavery was “busted.” Taken out of our soul. Removed from the US Constitution.

    A similar event? Yes. The birth of our navy. Because the original states didn’t want one! Feared it! But as soon as we resolved to our Revolutionary track? The Brits removed all their war ships from protecting all American shipping. And, we dawdled. Again, states prefered giving the arabs ransom. While they’d free a few of the sailors they captured. And, then? By the time we finally got congress to allot the money to build ships? It took years of fighting between the states, of the money.

    By 1799, napoleon was at war. We were still “fledglings.” And, the french navy tried to stop our trade with Britain. Chosing to hurt our trade down in the Caribbean. AH. By then? THREE SHIPS! With 124 GUNS. And, AMERICAN MARINES! Beat the crap out of the french. And, grew the balls to go after the arab ‘potintots.’ Go ahead. If you don’t believe me? Go whistle From The Halls of Montazuma; to the Shores of Tripoli.

    Winston Churchill said Americans “EVENTUALLY” do what’s right. While time passes.

    But from history? WE get to do what’s right, because it takes time to get the yellow-bellied congress critters out of the way!

    In today’s environment? The europeans have no armies. No navies. All they’re doing is giving the muzzies ransom. Just you wait as American watch. And, quietly seeth.

  16. momdear1 says:

    Carol, You can’t blame the failures of the Yankee Army during the Civil War on poor leadership. Prior to the start of that war. Jeff Davis, while serving as US Sec. of War in the 1850’s, ordered the contents of the Northern armories shipped to armories in Southern states and then ordered that they be sold to the Governors of the Southern states. It took the Yankees almost two years to replace and rebuild their armaments. Just goes to show that Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee were smarter than the average bears and planned ahead., while PPP prevailed in the North.

  17. Carol_Herman says:

    Oh, yes you can! McClellan refused to chase Lee. He actually preferred not to fight! But Lincoln didn’t get to a good general until years went by. And, the dead accummulated.

    What’s actually more interesting? Is that as time passed Americans became MORE RESOLVED! Not less so.

    Not that most people are aware of history.

    They’re also not aware that the original government officials, starting in 1776, when the Brits removed protection from American ships; found that the Barbary Pirates had a field day attacking American vessels, and taking crews hostage. Putting them into slavery. And, for more than 2 decades, America just “paid tribute.”

    It took a lot to get congress willing to create a navy. Because? They didn’t want one! Finally? Enough money was put aside to build 6 frigates. But it bogged down with fights between the states over the money.

    Then? In 1799, napoleon thought America was handicapped. And, to destroy our trade with Britain, began using gunboats in the Caribbean, to stop us trading with England. By then? We had 3 of those frigates built. The United States. The Constitution. And, the Constilation. ANd, we WON fighting the french. In the caribbean.

    And, only AFTER THAT did we stop paying the tribute to the arabs in Tripoli, Algiers. And, Tunis. BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THEM.

    So, it’s wise to notice that these days the europeans don’t have armies or navies. And, they’ve gone into the ransom business.

    While we HOLD BACK from fighting the muzzies. And, the donks think they can stop the funding, here, as well. (I guess those old yellow-bellied congress critters that kept voting for sending the ransom money, didn’t notice how the Americans would SEETH.)

    Like Winston Churchill said. Americans EVENTUALLY do the right thing. After they’ve tried everything else. It’s got a long history.

    As to Lee. When McClellan finally “attacked” one post … he got there to find he was “held off” by “QUAKER CANNONS.” Those were just tree logs, painted black.

    Yes. Finally, McClellan was relieved of his commission. And, UNFORTUNATELY, Halleck was installed, instead.

    Lincoln’s learning curve was slow. And, hard.

    But as dibilitating as it was? It gave rise to a more popular view that slavery had to be expunged from the US Constitution.

    And, Jefferson Davis? Ran out of Richmond disguised as a woman. And, Lee surrended to the better general. Though Lee wore finer clothes.

    As to the southerners calling on men who were serving the United States? Where do you think they pulled the men from? Their collective asses? Yes, Davis served as Secretary of War. BUT YA KNOW WHAT? Following Andrew Jackson’s winS, in 1828 and 1832? Not one bloke, afterwards, elected to the presidency, served more than one term! The White House was being failed by both parties. And, the People were voting crap in. And, out. From 1836 until 1860, when Lincoln was elected? REVOLVING DOOR! Americans are always resolved when they go to vote to clean up the crap in DC.

    It’s a credit to this President that he won his re-election. And, so did Reagan!

    As to how smart the southerners were? About as smart as Ken Lay at ENRON. Lots of forethought, without any regard to consequences.