Posted on 04/10/2005 10:55:52 AM PDT by nuconvert
Former Top Russian Intelligence Official Gunned Down in Moscow
The Associated Press
Apr 10, 2005
MOSCOW (AP) - Assailants wielding automatic weapons from a passing car gunned down a former top Russian intelligence official while he drove on a Moscow street Sunday, Russian news agencies reported. Col. Gen. Anatoly Trofimov, former deputy chief of the Federal Security Service under President Boris Yeltsin, was shot in his sport utility vehicle around 7:30 p.m. on a northern street, the Interfax news agency reported. He died on the scene.
The assailants fired from a small car, the ITAR-Tass news agency said. A woman believed to be Trofimov's wife was in the car and was seriously wounded and hospitalized, news agencies said.
Ekho Moskvyi radio said the attack may have been a contract killing related to unidentified business deals.
A duty officer at the Federal Security Service headquarters could not confirm the report, and phone calls to the police went unanswered Sunday evening.
Trofimov, who also served as head of the Moscow branch of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, was fired by Yeltsin in 1997 following an examination by federal accountants for "gross violations and flaws in his work."
The Federal Security Service is the main successor agency to the KGB.
Top Russian business and political leaders routinely are attacked, often as a part of shady business deals. Last month, Anatoly Chubais, the head of the state-controlled Unified Energy Systems power grid, was ambushed by assailants, who detonated a bomb and raked his armored car with automatic weapons fire as he was being driven to work just outside Moscow.
Last summer, the editor of Forbes Magazine's Russian edition, Paul Klebnikov, was gunned down outside the magazine's offices
Yes, the similar link was on the post #19. However, we can question Litvinenko since he is a close associate of Berezovskiy--now exiled Tycoon who was suspected as one of the masterminds behind Putin ascendance to Power. I don't think being simply opponent of Chechen war or Putin position as FSB director is enough reason to murder him. More likely that he may knew too much.
Again--we are just speculating--I believe someday truth will be known, but I doubt that we know it soon.
That's nice, it's called opinion and the guy was no general, he was removed 8 years ago and did not obviously have government backing or protection.
Here is another update on the Trofimov in newsru.com (still only in Russian)
http://www.newsru.com/russia/11apr2005/trofimov.html
Another former FSB official--the former head of FSB in Moscow District Savostjanov thinks that the death of Trofimov could be 85%-90% connected to his current deals and mafia clan warfare for the criminal redistribution of property. However, he does not rule out the Political connections either, mentioning that Trofimov was involved in the investigation of 1996 Yeltsin era election scandal when Yeltsin election workers where found with xerox box full of cash. According to Sevastjanov, Trofimov was also investigating whether Berezovskiy was connected to the murder of Journalist and talk show host Vladislav Listjev. Sevastjanov said that Trofimov wanted to arrest Berezovskiy back then but he was not allowed too. However, Berezovskiy involvement seems highly unlikely--Trofimov left FSB long time ago and Berezovskiy fled Russia fearing Putin reprisals.
Either way, political version can't be ruled out. Plus in Russia, Big Business is very heavily connected to politicians. Of course all over the world Big Businessess play large political role through different means. In Russia, top governmental officials have a lot of arbitrary power over businesses as YUKOS case has demonstrated.
To GarySpFc.
Trofimov was not in intelligence. FSB is not an intelligence agency. Currently Intelligence in Russia is separated from FSB.
"To: sergey1973
How would you like to be Bill Clinton's friend? The following is a list of dead people connected with Bill Clinton: "
I hope the Russian people have more success impeaching Putin than we did impeaching Clinton.
Putin has a 73% popularity rating, implemented Christian education programs in schools and the military, oversaw a 7% GDP expansion (on average) yearly for the past 5 years, dropped taxes heavily, implemented land and judicial reforms (trial by jury and private property), banned abortion after 12 weeks and cut government size. At the same time he's protectionist on outsourcing jobs and industry. Now for what should he be impeached?
I took a Russian college class a couple of years ago. My instructor was a Moscovite native. She told our class there was no word for fun or for privacy. She told us the closest word to 'fun' had to do with enjoying sports; not like Americans mean to just be enjoying some random thing. At that time she had been in America 12 years; maybe they have come up with a word that she didn't know about.
I wasn't the original poster about the guns and vodka. I knew about the beer as she talked about that. A previous poster said 'no sex'. My instructor also talked about that. She said many Russian women don't like Russian men as many are lazy, drunkard Mama's boys and the women don't like that.
bump the last post here. You should get a kick out of it.
Emigrants… they rarely have something positive to say about their homelands, pathetic...
She told us the closest word to 'fun' had to do with enjoying sports; not like Americans mean to just be enjoying some random thing. At that time she had been in America 12 years; maybe they have come up with a word that she didn't know about. ==]
Just tell her that the word for fun is in sence of enjoy ramdom thing is "razvlechenie".
For "privacy" word is "chastnoe" or "individualnoe". Latter is borrowing from english - individual.
What's really pathetic is our promised-to-be immigrants in the Hollyweird left. They go overseas and rag the US and promise to move if the right wins. Twice now they've lied.
Even on FR you may find Russian propagandists...
I see the EU mouth piece has spoken.
The People have spoken.
Yeah, the "People".
"Putin has a 73% popularity rating, implemented Christian education programs in schools and the military, oversaw a 7% GDP expansion (on average) yearly for the past 5 years, dropped taxes heavily,... Now for what should he be impeached?"
You tell us.
You're the one that one that brought Clinton into the string by comparing the people that Clinton "killed" with the people that Putin "killed".
You brought the Straw Dog here - Don't look at me to clean up after him :-)
"Even on FR you may find Russian propagandists..."
I have noticed that and it is quite surprising just as was Pat Buchanans cozying up to Putin.
Have there been any posts that might provide more details re: this perception of pro kremlinism?
"I am fascinated with Russia as my great great mother was from there."
What part of Russia - I also have Russian grandparents but it was Austria Hungary at the time they were born.
note
I was using it to show a fact that every world leader gets blamed for a bunch of people dieing. I found a list of people Bush supposably had offed too.
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