Andrei Karlov - Turkey, December 20, 2016 (62)
Peter Polishkov - Russia, December 20, 2016 (56)
Andrey Malanin - Athens, Jan 6, 2017 (55)
Alexander Kadakin - January 26, 2017 (67) http://zeenews.india.com/world/russian-ambassador-to-india-alexander-kadakin-passes-away_1970773.html
Vitaly Churkin, USA, February 20, 2017 (64)
FOUL PLAY? Four Dead Russian Diplomats in Three Months
http://21stcenturywire.com/2017/02/21/foul-play-four-dead-russian-diplomats-in-three-months/
Adam Garrie
The Duran
Russia’s long time ambassador to the UN has died suddenly in New York – this is the fourth Russian diplomat who has died in the last 3 months. Vitaly Churkin was one of the wisest voices in international diplomacy. His voice will no longer echo in the halls of the United Nations. Articulate, polite yet commanding, wise yet affable, he oversaw some of Russia’s and the world’s most important events in a position he occupied since 2006.
Churkin had to face a great deal of hostile criticism from both the Bush and Obama administrations during his time at the UN, but he always did so with grace. He never failed to explain the Russian position with the utmost clarity.
Standing next to some of his colleagues, he often looked like a titan in a room full of school children.
His death, a day before his 65th birthday, is a tragedy first and foremost for his family, friends and colleagues. It is also a deeply sad day for the cause of justice, international law and all of the principles of the UN Charter which Churkin admirably upheld in the face of great obstacles.
His death however raises many uncomfortable questions…
Here are 5 things that must be considered:
1. A Macabre Pattern Has Emerged
Beginning in 2015, there were several deaths within the Russian Diplomatic corps and a special Russian Presidential adviser.
LESIN
First there was Russia’s RT founder and special adviser to President Putin, Mikhail Lesin. He died in November of 2015 in his hotel room. Reports said that he appeared discombobulated during his last sighting before he died. Later it emerged that he died of a blunt head trauma. Drinking was blamed, but many questions were left unanswered.
MALANIN
Earlier last month, Andrei Malanin, a Senior Russian Diplomat to Greece was found dead in his bathroom. The causes of death remain unknown.
KADAKIN
Just last month, Russia’s Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, an always prestigious role, died of a heart attack, although no one was aware of any previous health issues.
KARLOV
In December of last year Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a lone jihadi gunmen in an art gallery. There was no effective security as the killer simply walked up to Ambassador Andrei Karlov and shot him multiple times in the back.
CHURKIN
Vitaly Chirkin is the highest profile member of Russia’s diplomatic corps to die in recent years.
2. A Motive For Foul Play?
Each of the recently deceased Russian Ambassadors were high profile targets for miscreants and criminals, whether state actors, mercenaries or fanatics.
Lesin was a instrumental in the creation of RT, a news outlet which has come under constant attack from the western establishment.
Malanin had overseen a period of warming fraternal relations between Greece and Russia at a time when Greece is feeling increasingly alienated from both the EU and NATO.
Karlov is said to be responsible for helping to facilitate the rapprochement between Presidents Erdogan and Putin.
Kadakin oversaw a period of renewed tensions between India and Pakistan at a time when Russia was trying to continue its good relations with India whilst building good relations with Pakistan.
On the 31st of December, 2016, Churkin’s resolution on a ceasefire in Syria passed in the UN Security Council after months of deadlock. The resolution is still in force.
Anyone who wanted to derail the diplomatic successes that the aforementioned men achieved for Russia would have a clear motive to extract vengeance.
3. Who Stands To Gain?
In the matter of Karlov, any derailment of restored Russo-Turkish relations would be good for those happy for Turkey to continue her support of jihadists in Syria rather than moving towards accepting a Russian and indeed Iranian brokered peace process which respects the sovereignty of Syria as Russia and Iran always have, but Turkey has not.
In the case of Lesin, anyone wanting ‘vengeance’ for RT’s popularity would be able to say that a kind of former media boss was taken down.
For Malanin, many fear that if ‘Grexit’ happens, Russia will become an increasingly important partner for Greece. The EU would not like one of its vassal states enjoying fruitful relations with Russia, a country still under sanctions from Brussels.
For Kadakin, it is a matter of interest for those wanting Pakistan to continue favouring western powers and not wanting Russia to be able to mediate in conflict resolutions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Churkin had come to dominate the UN in ways that his counterparts on the Security Council simply could not. No one really stood a chance in a debate with Churkin. His absence leaves open the possibility for a power vacuum that would makes other peoples’ jobs easier.
4. Where The Deaths Took Place
Each death took place on foreign soil. Mr. Karlov’s killing in particular, exposed the weakness of his security contingent. If security was that weak in a comparatively volatile place like Turkey, it goes without saying that security in states considered more politically stable would be even more lax.
Again it must be said that a non-biased detective might say that the only pattern which has emerged is that many people in the Russian diplomatic corps and related institutions have heart attacks. Maybe they eat fatty foods every day and drink and smoke too much. But if this was this case, why are the heart attacks all on foreign soil?
If all of the former Ambassadors except Karlov were really in bad health, is it really just a coincidence that none of these men had a health scare on Russian soil? Again, a pattern has emerged.
5. The Ethics of Speculation?
Many will say that it is too early to suspect foul play. Indeed, I must make it clear that this is simply speculation based on a pattern of tragic and at times unexplained events, combined with the objective reality that because of Russia’s recently elevated profile as a born-again geopolitical superpower, Russia is a bigger target for international criminals than it was in the broken 1990s or the more quiet early 2000s.
When such events happen, one’s duty is to speculate so that better health and safety precautions are taken to ensure the wellbeing of Russia’s important diplomats. Furthermore, if foul play is a factor, it means that such seemingly unrelated events must be investigated more thoroughly.
Russia has historically suffered from invasion, revolution and more recently from immense international pressure. The Russian people, like Russia’s ambassadors are entitled to the peace and long lives deserved by any member of a country that has suffered for too long.
Moscow says that four Russian military advisors were killed by a radio controlled bomb in Syria on Thursday. But there's more to this story that isn't being reported.
A Bomb Killed 4 Russian Soldiers in Syria. But We're Not Being Told the Full Story. Why?
http://russia-insider.com/en/bomb-killed-4-russian-soldiers-syria-were-not-being-told-full-story-why/ri18993
We were saddened and angered to learn that
"four Russian servicemen were killed in Syria on February 16, when a radio controlled bomb targeting a Syrian military convoy exploded."
Two other Russian soldiers were wounded in the blast. Here's what RT reports:
The vehicle had been part of a Syrian Army convoy traveling to the city of Homs from the Tiyas airfield in central Syria’s Homs Province.
Russian military advisers were in the car when it blew up, according to the ministry’s statement.
When the vehicle was some four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the airfield, a radio-controlled improvised explosive device (RCIED) went off under the vehicle, the ministry said.
We don't think we're getting the full story, though.
This incident took place (allegedly) on Thursday, February 16. That's four days ago. Why did it take so long to report these casualties? And did any terrorist group claim responsibility? As far as we can tell: No.
And yet, ISIS was more than happy to claim responsibility for a bombing that happened on the same day in Baghdad:
Sunni terrorists dream of killing Russian special forces or military advisers. Why would any militia or terrorist group in Syria execute a successful operation like this, and then not immediately claim responsibility? And again, as far as we know, we're still waiting for someone — anyone — to say they were responsible for the attack.
Please correct us if you think we're being unreasonable, but doesn't this seem odd to you? The Russians might consider the deaths of these soldiers a state secret — but we're positive ISIS wouldn't.
Our second point is a bit more nuanced. But we still think it's an interesting coincidence: February 16 was the same day that Sergei Lavrov met with Rex Tillerson for the first time in Germany.
According to Bloomberg, it was an "awkward first encounter":
Protocol dictates the two would shake hands, exchange platitudes in front of the clicking cameras, and perhaps take an impromptu question before retiring for a private chat. Russia’s Sergei Lavrov began: “Mr. Secretary of State, I thank you for this opportunity to have the first contact after you have assumed the office and I would like to congratulate you once again for that.”
As Tillerson began to speak, journalists got a swift signal to exit the room. The episode irked Lavrov, who openly wondered why U.S. aides pushed out Russian and American reporters without allowing them to listen to the rest of the opening remarks.
“Why did you shush them out?” Lavrov said.
Here's the thing: We are not arguing that Tillerson was acting awkward because he had some sort of prior knowledge about a bomb attack against Russian soldiers in Syria. He's new to the job and doesn't know how to act like a diplomat.
But isn't it interesting that Lavrov seemed almost frustrated that Tillerson wasn't being more cordial? Lavrov has previously slammed the U.S. for "coincidental" coordination with ISIS. If Lavrov knew about this bomb attack before going into the meeting, we don't think he would have been in such good spirits. We imagine he would have immediately "shushed" out the press, and given Tillerson an ear-full.
The problem is that we don't know exactly at what time this bomb attack happened. So it's also perfectly possible that the attacked occurred after Tillerson and Lavrov had finished their meeting in Bonn.
And of course, we suppose it's possible that Lavrov wasn't informed about the attack until much later.
Our third point is about the location of the attack: Tiyas airfield is west of Palmyra. Is it possible that Russian special forces, who are helping to lead the fresh offensive on the ancient city, are being specifically targeted? And if so, again, why did no one take responsibility for such a well-executed attack? And who benefits, aside from ISIS, if Russian special forces are killed while coordinating an attack on Palmyra?
The whole thing smells fishy.
1. Why did it take four days for the Russian MoD to tell us that four Russian military advisors had died in Syria?
2. Why did no one claim responsibility for the attack?
3. Can we deduce anything from the meeting between Lavrov and Tillerson? (We admit this is our least compelling question. But still.)
4. What does the location (and timing) of the attack tell us?
We will of course patiently wait for more information as it becomes available. But for now, we think there's a lot more to this story than we're being told.
Four Russians killed in a perfectly timed, well-executed attack just a few kilometers from a Syrian airbase, but no one takes responsibility? Was this a terrorist attack — or a message? Cui bono?