Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Cloak and Dagger Extraordinaire

The Revenge of the Kremlin? gives a fairly in-depth look at the poisoning a former Russian security officer Alexander Litvinenko, who had been highly critical of the Kremlin and specifically Putin. His death by poisoning with a rare radioactive substance had sparked concern that others, such as his family and those who cared for him in the hospital, or those who ate at the restaurant linked to the radioactivity, might have been exposed.

It reads like some Tom Clancy novel, riveting and full of twists. But unfortunately, this is the case not only of historical drama (that will no doubt be researched intently in the future) but that of a man who became a shadow of his former self through exposure to something you'd have to have access to nuclear materials to even obtain. It has also been linked to the death of a Russian journalist last month, so the story (and the human cost) may turn out to be much greater than it is on the surface. Meanwhile, since he had obtained citizenship and there is a strong possibility that foreign concerns are involved, there may be a breakdown in British and Russian relations. It's a far-reaching bit of cloak and dagger. I hope the people responsible--all of them, no matter how high this goes--are brought to justice. Perhaps it is a rogue plan, perhaps part of a personal vendetta of an old comrade, but if it is the result of the Russian forces, that needs to come out. Otherwise the perpetrators win.

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