KGB

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Russia Claims US Citizen Provoked War

Cites teacher's found passport as proof of meddling in Georgia

(Newser) - To support its claims that US intelligence agents played a role in the Georgian conflict, the Kremlin has produced a US passport belonging to an Army veteran from Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. They say the passport was found in an outpost used by Georgian special forces. The alleged...

Brits: Russia Played Role in Ex-KGB Agent's London Murder

'Clear indications it was state action'

(Newser) - The murder of a former KGB agent in London 2 years ago was carried out with the support of the Russian government, British government sources have told the BBC. There are "very strong indications it was a state action," said one senior official. Alexander Litvinenko, who was mysteriously...

In Moscow the Beat Goes On
In Moscow the Beat Goes On
Mar 3, 2008 4:20 AM CST

In Moscow the Beat Goes On

Second verse same as the first: Putin and protege celebrate win at concert

(Newser) - To no one's surprise, Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev has promised to uphold the policies of his predecessor after yesterday's stage-managed transfer of power widely regarded as an election farce, reports Reuters. Medvedev has already chosen outgoing president Vladimir Putin, ineligible for another term, as prime minister. To underline their...

Medvedev Wins in a Landslide
Medvedev Wins in a Landslide
Mar 2, 2008 2:53 PM CST

Medvedev Wins in a Landslide

Putin pupil has asked current prez to be PM

(Newser) - On par with expectations, Dmitry Medvedev has won Russia’s presidential election with 69.6% of the vote, an exit poll says. His closest rival took just 17.2%. The victory likely means little change for Russia, as Medvedev has asked current president Vladimir Putin to be his prime minister...

Belarus Merger Could Return Putin to Office

New constitution would give president new lease on power

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin may release a secret weapon this week: a Russian political union with neighboring Belarus that could extend his leadership indefinitely. As the ex-KGB operative’s presidential terms run out, observers look to a merger of nations—including currency, legal system, and armed forces—as an opportunity for a...

Russian Claims He Was Asked to Kill Litvinenko

Warned victim of plot before tea poisoning

(Newser) - Onetime KGB agent Mikhail Trepashkin has said that a former colleague attempted to recruit him for a state-sponsored plot to kill Kremlin foe Alexander Litvinenko, who died of poisoning in London last year. Trepashkin will detail his allegations before the European human rights court, supporting the case that the Russian...

Putin Will Run for Parliament, Could Be PM

Russia’s prez unveils plans that might keep him at country’s helm

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin will lead the United Russia ticket in December’s parliamentary elections—and could very well be the country's next PM. Term limits prevent the president from running for a third term in March, and his newest plan, revealed today, confirms a long-suspected desire to hold tight to the...

KGB Doggedly Stalked Nureyev
KGB Doggedly Stalked Nureyev
Sep 19, 2007 8:47 PM CDT

KGB Doggedly Stalked Nureyev

Russians wanted to break defector dancer’s legs

(Newser) - He was never interested in politics, but Rudolf Nureyev was a KGB scourge for decades after his 1961 defection. The famed ballet dancer’s colleagues were glad to see him go—‘Rudik’ was a prima donna to management and competition for fellow performers—but the state was incensed, the...

Billionaires Flee Putin's Russia
Billionaires Flee Putin's Russia
Jul 2, 2007 4:08 PM CDT

Billionaires Flee Putin's Russia

For mainly Jewish oligarchs, wealth and power has given way to prison and exile

(Newser) - A cadre of 50 or so Russian businessmen struck it rich when the USSR's state-owned industries went up for grabs. But most of these billionaire oligarchs are now in prison or have fled, hounded and hectored by the KGB-style tactics of president Putin. The Guardian profiles 7 deposed plutocrats, who've...

UK Demands Extradition in Spy Poisoning

Moscow balks as focus of Litvinenko case turns to fellow ex-KGB agent

(Newser) - The poisoning death of spy-turned-dissident Alexander Litvinenko was the work of another ex-KGB operative, the British government says, and it wants the accused charged and extradited. But Moscow refuses to deliver him, the BBC reports, saying that would violate the Russian constitution. Litvinenko was a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin,...

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