"If the KGB (now the SVR) had wanted Yushchenko dead, does anyone really think he'd have been around to lead that Orange Revolution?"
Don't give them too much credit. They tried to off the Pope and failed and got caught. They tried and failed to kidnap Conrad Adenauer. When everything depended on it, they could not do anything about Yeltsin. They are much better at mass murder (Katyn Forest) than surgical strikes.
They have used poison before. The KGB killed a dissident in London with a poison pellet-shooting umbrella. The Russians must have assumed that English doctors were as incompetent as Russian doctors, that the true cause of death would remain undiscovered and that nobody would be the wiser. Of course, the pellet was recovered and the job was traced back to them.
But why dioxin, which has never been known to have caused a fatality?
If it was KGB, why not use ricin or potassium chloride to ensure he is killed?
But the basic technique (having someone shoot the Pope) was a method of murder that was known to work.
Dioxin doesn't fit that description.
The KGB killed a dissident in London with a poison pellet-shooting umbrella.
Yup--the pellet was loaded with ricin, which is extremely lethal. A very small dose is 100% fatal, and once the fatal dose is in one's system, there is no antidote.
Conversely, dioxin is not known to be fatal, even at 140% of the dosage that Yushchenko apparently received.
My personal guess for "who gains" by this act: George Soros. Yushchenko is now too sick to lead Ukraine, and must rely on "helpers" from Soros' foundation.
The Russians must have assumed that English doctors were as incompetent as Russian doctors, that the true cause of death would remain undiscovered and that nobody would be the wiser. Of course, the pellet was recovered and the job was traced back to them.
Actually, the only reason that it was tracked back to them was that another intended victim got extremely lucky--the pellet fell out of his skin before delivering its full dose, but after he'd gone to the hospital because he was extremely sick. They then did a second post-mortem on Markov and found a similar pellet, plus they blood serum work to specifically search for ricin.
But the basic technique (having someone shoot the Pope) was a method of murder that was known to work.
Dioxin doesn't fit that description.
The KGB killed a dissident in London with a poison pellet-shooting umbrella.
Yup--the pellet was loaded with ricin, which is extremely lethal. A very small dose is 100% fatal, and once the fatal dose is in one's system, there is no antidote.
Conversely, dioxin is not known to be fatal, even at 140% of the dosage that Yushchenko apparently received.
My personal guess for "who gains" by this act: George Soros. Yushchenko is now too sick to lead Ukraine, and must rely on "helpers" from Soros' foundation.
The Russians must have assumed that English doctors were as incompetent as Russian doctors, that the true cause of death would remain undiscovered and that nobody would be the wiser. Of course, the pellet was recovered and the job was traced back to them.
Actually, the only reason that it was tracked back to them was that another intended victim got extremely lucky--the pellet fell out of his skin before delivering its full dose, but after he'd gone to the hospital because he was extremely sick. They then did a second post-mortem on Markov and found a similar pellet, plus they blood serum work to specifically search for ricin.