Marina Kalashnikova
Encyclopedia
Marina Kalashnikova is a Russian historian and freelance journalist. In 2010 she and her ex-KGB agent husband were treated in hospital in Germany for mercury poisoning
in what they have said was an attempt on their life by Russia's FSB, the successor to the KGB. The case has been compared to the alleged poisoning and murder of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko
.
since the 1990s. They left Russia and have lived in various countries, such as the Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and now Germany. They claim to have been warned to cease their activities at various points in the 1990s and 2000s by KGB agents.
’s cult of personality together with the ideology of the Cheka
."
She also accuses Russia of trying to expand its influence around the world: "The Kremlin has activated a network of extremists in the Third World
[...] Russia has managed to shake off nearly all international conventions restricting the expansion of its military power."
In the view of writer Jeffrey R. Nyquist, these kinds of views have made Kalashnikova a target: "When Marina Kalashnikova presented her analysis to Russian and Ukrainian readers on August 26, 2008, she annoyed the regime and made herself a target of the Russian secret police. Her Moscow residence was broken into. Private papers were stolen. Threats were made. And last, but not least, she was forcibly incarcerated in a psychiatric clinic for 35 days. 'I am completely healthy,' Kalashnikova told me during a telephone interview on Sunday. 'It was absolutely political … and not medical at all.'" Kalashnikova said that the authorities justified her detention as being because she had been "aggressive".
per litre of blood, while her husband had 53.7 microgrammes. The safe level is between one and three microgrammes. Viktor Kalashnikov has told the press that "Moscow poisoned us".
The case has been compared with that of another former Russian security officer, Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006. He was administered radioactive polonium
.
Later, German prosecutors have dropped an investigation. Spokesman for the state prosecutor's office in Berlin told the AFP news agency: "There is no evidence that they were poisoned, at least in Germany."
Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...
in what they have said was an attempt on their life by Russia's FSB, the successor to the KGB. The case has been compared to the alleged poisoning and murder of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
.
Activities
Kalashnikova and her husband have been publishing articles critical of the Russian GovernmentGovernment of Russia
The Government of the Russian Federation exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister , the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers...
since the 1990s. They left Russia and have lived in various countries, such as the Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and now Germany. They claim to have been warned to cease their activities at various points in the 1990s and 2000s by KGB agents.
Views
Kalashnikova considers Russia to be ruled in an anti-democratic way: "It is clear that the [Kremlin] regime has no restraint and will commit any crime, break any rule, surpass any benchmark in order to consolidate its already illegitimate power". She has also criticised Western analysts for thinking that conflict with Russia can be avoided. In August 2009 she stated, "The West does not care to wake from the dream of its wishful thinking, even when Moscow turns to [...] reanimating Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
’s cult of personality together with the ideology of the Cheka
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
."
She also accuses Russia of trying to expand its influence around the world: "The Kremlin has activated a network of extremists in the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
[...] Russia has managed to shake off nearly all international conventions restricting the expansion of its military power."
In the view of writer Jeffrey R. Nyquist, these kinds of views have made Kalashnikova a target: "When Marina Kalashnikova presented her analysis to Russian and Ukrainian readers on August 26, 2008, she annoyed the regime and made herself a target of the Russian secret police. Her Moscow residence was broken into. Private papers were stolen. Threats were made. And last, but not least, she was forcibly incarcerated in a psychiatric clinic for 35 days. 'I am completely healthy,' Kalashnikova told me during a telephone interview on Sunday. 'It was absolutely political … and not medical at all.'" Kalashnikova said that the authorities justified her detention as being because she had been "aggressive".
Poisoning
In 2010 Kalashnikova noticed she was losing her hair. Doctors at Berlin's Charite hospital discovered that she had 56 microgrammes of mercuryMercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
per litre of blood, while her husband had 53.7 microgrammes. The safe level is between one and three microgrammes. Viktor Kalashnikov has told the press that "Moscow poisoned us".
The case has been compared with that of another former Russian security officer, Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006. He was administered radioactive polonium
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
.
Later, German prosecutors have dropped an investigation. Spokesman for the state prosecutor's office in Berlin told the AFP news agency: "There is no evidence that they were poisoned, at least in Germany."
See also
- Karinna MoskalenkoKarinna MoskalenkoKarinna Akopovna Moskalenko , is Russia’s leading human rights lawyer, defending, amongst others, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov and Alexander Litvinenko...
– lawyer who claims to have been poisoned with mercury by the Russian authorities