Vladimir Putin

[Sarmatian]

What Pape's saying is - he would have needed to eat it.

I understood him. Isn't that what "ingest" means: to eat, drink, take in, imbibe... ?

A tin box, indeed a cardboard box, would have made it safe to transport - if he was a KGB Polonium smuggler in a past life, he would not have irradiated himself.

It doesn't mean he couldn't have made a mistake. How was the material transported, where it was stored, who could access it... German and Italian sources mention he was involved in smuggling. To whom was he selling it? Al-Qaeda? Rogue states? Maybe the Brits or Americans whacked him, to stop radioactive material from getting to the hands of Al-Qaeda. Maybe it was one his partners in crime, maybe it was an accident due to inexpert handling, maybe it was a different grudge from the past, maybe it was Berezovsky, his financial backer with whom he had a falling out, and yes, maybe it was Putin himself...

There are many theories, and I won't even pretend I have a vague idea what happened.

Looking at the facts, Putin theory is one of the least likely theories out there. Putin would single out him out of thousand people who was badmouthing him and bringing to light his crimes in Chechnya or elsewhere, then kill him, transforming him from a virtual unknown to a household name, seven years after he defected, using most complicated method possible...

[Ironside]

Looking at the facts, Putin theory is one of the least likely theories out there. Putin would single out him out of thousand people who was badmouthing him and bringing to light his crimes in Chechnya or elsewhere, then kill him, transforming him from a virtual unknown to a household name, seven years after he defected, using most complicated method possible...

It's not like he starts to take chunks of a country that said no to him on something...

Putin is big on posture. Even if he wasn't responsible, he doesn't seem to mind looking like it.

[HopAlongBunny]

I credit Putin for not really caring about "fantasy news". No doubt he also has some connection to the Malaysia Airline disappearance, the Mayan Calender and the Bermuda Triangle.

[Ironside]

I credit Putin for not really caring about "fantasy news". No doubt he also has some connection to the Malaysia Airline disappearance, the Mayan Calender and the Bermuda Triangle.

Like the fantasy news of that Russian journalists are killed by the dozen and Russia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world, and Putin doesn't seem to care?

See, in the game of politics, you can do something about rumors without commenting on them directly. Your reputation affects what accusations and rumors that stick.