Since the death of Vitaly Churkin I see more and more speculations that Russian diplomats are being killed (example here and here) This is exceedingly unlikely and I consider these speculations to be based on ignorance and a form of “clickbaiting”. Here is why:
- So four senior Russian diplomats have died in one month. Considering how many diplomats Russia has worldwide, this is hardly a tsunami.
- They died in Ankara (murder), Athens (natural causes), New Delhi (disease) and New York (heart attack). There is no pattern, no modus operandi, no common link between these men and their deaths.
- During the Cold War the US and Soviets had an understanding that they would not attack each other’s personnel simply because any such attack would trigger an immediate retaliation which both sides wanted to avoid. There is absolutely nothing suggesting that this has changed.
- Killing diplomats is useless. They don’t really make decisions but their symbolic value is immense. Thus the benefit for murdering them is zero and the cost potentially a nuclear war.
- Russia is not the Palestinian Authority which had to ask for French expertise to establish the real cause of death of Yassir Arafat. If anybody had murdered Russian diplomats the Russians would inevitably find out who did it and why and the retaliation would be terrible (all, repeat, all the Takfiri Chechen leaders have by now been killed by the Russians, as have been the units who killed the Russian pilot in Syria as have been the key Takfiri leaders in Aleppo).
Coincidences do happen and not everything is the result of a conspiracy. In this case, there is exactly zero evidence of a plot by anybody to murder Russian diplomats and spreading rumors about that is unhelpful and distracting from the important issues.
—The Saker
UPDATE: okay, I am not coming across, so let me try something different: call two authorities to my rescue. First, Carl Sagan who used to say that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence“. In this case, the claim is absolutely extraordinary: the murder of a senior diplomat is basically an act of war. As for the evidence, at this time of writing it is exactly ZERO. Nothing. Zilch. Nihil. My next expert authority is William of Occam who wrote “Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem”, which meaning can be roughly rendered as “the simplest explanation is the best”. For example, while it is definitely *possible* that Russian diplomats have been murdered, it is far more likely that they simply died. Of course, I cannot prove a negative. But at this point in time I repeat that this line of speculation is based on absolutely nothing, that there is no evidence at all while the claim is truly extraordinary. To simple speculate on the basis of a statistically irrelevant sample and arrive at far reaching hypotheses is simply not “analysis”. At best, this is idle gossip. Frankly, I am kind of shocked and even disappointed that so many seem to miss the total lack of evidentiary support, nevermind any “proof”, for this hypothesis.
The comments below have been selected by the editors of TGP for their cogency and pertinence.
Anglozionists are provoking Russia in all manners possible, and murders of diplomats and destruction of symbols (like the Red Army Choir) are one of those means. Russians do not retaliate because they don’t want to fall into the trap.
Coincidences do happen, but doubts are increasing with numbers [of victims].
There’s a hidden and not so hidden war and it’s nasty…
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Nevertheless considering the flx that the world is in at this stage, it is at the very least inopportune.
@David
Inopportune is an understatement. Repeating what someone else said, how many ambassadors of other countries died in such a short time? None, or not that we know of.
Does it mean that Russian diplomats are in such a bad health and do not get medically tested?
Going back to Hollywood fiction, namely movie “International”, all is needed little prick and fast disappearing poison (4hrs in the movie). Which means the following: unless the body is examined immediately the murder can not be proven, hence natural death has to be claimed.
The agreement that prevented petty, tit-for-tat murders during the Cold War is as defunct as the one between Crimea and The Ukraine.
The USA has been taken over by the neocons in the basement. They have no rules as their willingness to raze what is left of responsible governance in the USA shows.
I see no reason why their scorched earth policy does not apply to their entire sphere of influence.
Moreoeover, how many US Ambassadors have died at their posts in the same, or similar period of time?
And though you say that “killing diplomats is useless”, I respectfully disagree. Diplomats are born, not made, as the sorry state of Diplomacy in the world, and especially in the Anglo-Zionist Empire amply demonstrates. The schools may still functioning but the product is highly questionable. If, until recently, the USSD used the travelogue of the survivor of the French Terror, the charmant Marquis de Custine as a serious text, I rest my case. Gone are the days when the Ambassador to the Russian court, from Austria I believe, could say when asked to gather intelligence for his state: “I am not a spy”.
No. Churkin certainly, and I suspect the others are trained, seasoned, talented, born diplomats and therefore they were indispensible.
These, now unquestionably dead, diplomats were unarguably key figures in: Greece, a state in turmoil; Turkey, the same, only more so; The UN, a cesspool with the execrable Bolton, succeeded by the disgusting Powers and now this deplorable creature Haley; and so on.
It is true that in a normal war, killing diplomats is just rude. It does not accomplish any significant military objective. What threatens the zionist system though is not conventional warfare. The real threat are intelligent people. Pacifists, activists, honest journalists. Those must me eliminated and it has to look like an accident. Killing all pacifists with a bullet in the head would be counter productive for obvious reasons.
You know, I would not be so quick to arrive at a conclusion one way or another. I concur, evidence is lacking & having run criminal investigations for over ten years, I myself hesitate to pass conclusive judgements until all the facts are in, so to speak. But motive? There are plenty, from the petty – which would be intimidation, to more strategic – like attempting to provoke a confrontation by raising tensions constantly, keeping up pressure in the most sinister manner. For Russia, if word gets out that its diplomats are being assassinated in such a way that they are unable to respond in kind, then this does damage prestige somewhat – at a time when Russia’s rating internationally in sky rocketing. So I am not sure, but the minute I heard Churkin had died from some sort of ‘sudden’ cardiac arrest type event, I automatically thought of Mossad assassination methods. They are experts at this sort of thing, if that is what it was.
Not questioning the odds of coincidence in the deaths of critical personnel…especially in light of the recent and flagrant assassinations of Motorola. Givi and the Russian ambassador to Turkey during a time when Russia is under constant attack by the globalist Deep State is naïve. I am sure the Russian Federation is not making this assumption.
I beg to differ sir. As you say in 3., there was an understanding to not attack each other’s personnel but it’s not valid now. Anglozionists are provoking Russia in all manners possible, and murders of diplomats and destruction of symbols (like the Red Army Choir) are one of those means. Russians do not retaliate because they don’t want to fall in the trap.
Coincidences do happen, but doubts are raising with numbers.
There’s a hidden and not so hidden war and it’s nasty.
Kind regards
J
But who murdered Kim in Malaysia?
Given Malaysia was one of the few countries in the world to maintain diplomatic relations with North Korea, it does seem telling that relations between these two countries have immediately soured in the wake of the assassination of “Kim” (whichever Kim, but we’re being told it’s the brother of the President).
Cui bono?
Who would benefit from isolating North Korea from it’s partners? (Few that there are in any case).
Would there be any parties out there with a motive to seek the further isolation of North Korea (DPRK) from the outside world?
To force them more inward and cut off their possibilities of reaching out through third parties?
I’m trying to work out who might benefit from this further isolation of DPRK?
Anyone?
Interesting, are we dealing with the same Malaysia that lost some aircrafts among other things?
Churkin’s death may be related to his pressing for a Kosovo organ selling investigation.
I disagree with the fact that you are strongly rejecting “conspiracy” base on the fact of what you have read for one single reason:when there is a serie of something it is often indicative of a pattern .If you had heard Mike Morell on Charlie Rose ‘s talk show and his promise to inflict pain on Russians through assassinations and targeting of their troops in Syria without ever acknowledging it and you had seen Russian diplomats suddenly dying including a consul in NewYork a short time ago and then had read about Russian troops ambushed in Syria ,the last one occurring 3 days ago, and read about the plane that suddenly went down on his road to Syria in the Black Sea with the most famous Russian (military)orchestra on board, well if you read about all this you might be entitle to register it and start asking questions.As for what happened as gentleman agreement during the Cold War that is certainly not the case now with the Empire in complete disarray and experiencing a real civil war among its different branches…The United $nakes of ZA has never stoop so low before so yes nothing on earth would surprise me.For this reason you can’t be these days categorical on anything…
On another note congratulation for posting an awful ranting by one Ahmed Khan,it is not enough to be called Ahmed to be entitled to blast anything and everything related to Iran or Resistance.It took me some seconds to realise that no that was not a wahabi rag but the page of Saker the same Saker I have followed for some years now.”Some friends told me in Jordan the awful treatment “bla bla this is the method you read in Saudi -qatari-gulfi papers, invoke hypothetical friends and then buuuum bash the ennemy.You want to talk about Jordan and its poisonous environment well let start from there and then we can go to Iraq and Iran.I am from the region ,an arab,and lived there enough to discern a lie when I see it.That doesn’t mean Iran is a Saint .Subhi Tufayli has been evicted from Hezbollah a very long time ago and he is now on the payroll of the Queen of Democracy Saudi Arabia….Any way thank you for your postings Saker,
as many around the globe I enjoy reading you
“Killing diplomats is useless. They don’t really take decisions but their symbolic value is immense. Thus the benefit for murdering them is zero and the cost potentially a nuclear war.”
Last week the opposite was told by some: Givi, Motorola and all others had to be killed *because* of their symbolic value. So what’s correct then?
Also to have or not to have a good man in the UNSC may well make a difference.
Does it mean then that you disagree with Vladimir Putin (who was enraged over this tragic news), because you now say that even top diplomats like Vitaly Churkin are basically useless?
What about Minsk2 then – isn’t it so phantstic just because it is smart diplomacy?
As for statistics: How many leading dimplomats does the USA have? And how many of them have “died” within the past (or any recent) 2 months?
Sorry, but I’m honestly confused.
Stalin thought FDR was poisoned, and said so to Elanor – according to Gore Vidal. Stalin was not alone in his opinion. However I seem to recall that killing the diplomats is itself a diplomatic act – it is an irretrievable casting of the die to the Fates of War – a stark statement that no further negotiation is called for and that the business will be settled by force alone. I believe the Romans used this technique, but others will remember with certainty.
Oh, yeah, maybe it’s a coincidence. It may be. Really be, a coincidence. If so there’s sure a long list of coincidences…and having the bad luck of misreading a true coincidence for a strategic message would be just that – bad luck. That does not matter, one fights based of capabilities and probabilities based on past behaviors. Ivan has that computer running, crunching probabilities – now gee whiz, I wonder why…
Withal, I see Comrade President as having taken the decision to settle the Mink 2 matter by force, minimum force, but force, in the near future. If so, then NATO will be seen to have zero valve – either they are obliterated in a brief campaign in theater, or they do not fight. Either way NATO goes “poof”.
Either way the world will no longer be ruled by the Empire.
Either way Trump gets the blame. Poor sod…
At least one of the ambassadors has been murdered – that is a fact. With proof. The whole affair has been filmed.
Cannot see why there has to be the same modus operandi.
The empire had effectively declared war on Russia, 21 century mode, and we’ve seen how vicious and sneaky it is. This is all part of the warfare.
The western secret operatives’ methods are very consistent with these attacks: sneaky and in your back.
There is such a thing as intuition. Mine is screaming foul play.
At least one of the ambassadors has been murdered – that is a fact. With proof. The whole affair has been filmed.
Yes. that is proof that he has been murdered. this is NOT the proof that there is a spree of murders of Russian diplomats.
If you see a blond woman in France that does not mean that all French women are blond.
Interesting. I consider comments like this one to be blatant gatekeeping. Anyone not seriously considering some form of conspiracy situation in response to such a string of deaths (killings?) is simply being absurd. The reasons offered for why we certainly shouldn’t consider conspiracy possibilities are, as always, silly. Perhaps a new philosophical rule of thumb should be considered: not every coincidence is a mere coincidence.
I consider comments like this one to be blatant gatekeeping.
Okay. I admit. You caught me. I am a gatekeeper. For the CIA. And Mossad. And the FSB. They pay me to prevent you from asking the important questions. First, I wanted to become a rabbi, like my father, but there is so much more money to be made in gatekeeping that I decided for the latter.
So, bravo! I comment you for unmasking me 🙂
Perhaps a new philosophical rule of thumb should be considered: not every coincidence is a mere coincidence.
That is frigging brilliant!!! And it allows for so many useful variations. Just replace the two instances of “coincidence” with any other word. Like “not every fish is a mere fish”. Or “not every toothbrush is a mere toothbrush”. Love that stuff!
Hours of fun!!
Thank you!
The Saker
Viewing them as synchronistic may hold value.
According to Wikipedia”
“Synchronicity is a concept, first explained by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, which holds that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.”
Normally I agree with most of your analyses Saker, but this time around, I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Something sinister is afoot with the death of these individuals.
I’am not quick on conspiracies, but I just cant shake the feeling that these deaths are too convenient to be a coincidence.
Individuals and entities are trying to provoke a confrontation with Russia.
Just imagine – like many have been suggesting – if the nationality of these individuals were American or Israeli, the Zionist owned and controlled MSM would be in over-drive right now trying to connect a polonium trail back to the Kremlin.
A war is being waged against Russia from the shadows.
Short of open conflict, Russia needs to don its brass knuckles and take to the shadows to dispense righteous vengeance against the perpatrators.