Just came across this... Not sure what to make of it.

Sounds pretty bizarre!

Bizarre? Sounds like business as usual.

Try writing something critical of the Kremlin (in Russian - English is okay). See how long you live. Or try creating a broadcast TV station that isn't controlled by the Kremlin (gazprom media). Does anyone find it odd the most television in Russia is controlled by a gas company? That is owned by the government?

Counterfit money is fairly common as well - one reason many people won't take older US bills in Russia. The
North Koreans are probably the largest producers of it though.

Another reason I cant wait to have Sasha out of that country. Ready for warmer vacation spots also!

What a perfect chain of logical conclusions. Five Russians walk in a store with counterfeit $100 while Putin visits = they are his security people = Putin is aware and involved = Russia is an enemy.

BlueFairy,

Thank you for your comment.

LOL, their assumptions become facts, what a load of bullcrap.

Yeah, That's why I called it bizarre...

But, the apparent backsliding is really troubling.
This stuff (polonium) is so rare and so toxic (it's 250 Billion times more toxic than cyanide) handling it is almost impossible and it can only be made by states with large nuclear programs. It also leaves a fairly obvious breadcrumb trail.

Actually, you can still buy the stuff over the internet. It is useful in cloud chambers, calibrating equipment, etc.

Polonium is an alpha emitter, so you are only screwed if you inhale or ingest it. Touching it won't hurt you.

It is naturally occuring in Uranium ore and tobacco smoke, among other places. About 500 times rarer than radium. It is useful in large quntities for building a neutron source - the only reason to have large quantities of it is for a nuclear program.

The fact that so much of it was used to poison someone is kind of shocking. That much of it isn't cheap, to poison someone in such a way makes a political statement more than anything else. It would be like burning someone at the stake using $20,000,000 in hundred dollar bills as the fuel.

I've found that most of what passes for commentary on Russia from outlets like The Economist, WSJ, CNN, Time, etc. is alarmist Russophobic crap.

If you want to keep up to date on current affairs in Russia, subscribe to Johnson's Russia List.

Amazing... But you'd need a state budget to buy enough to use as poison...

0.1 microcurie for $69 x 32,000 = over $2 million for a lethal dose (50ng) or something like that. These quantities are so small it would be very difficult and quite suspicious to assemble such a dose unless you have the power to make it (gather it).

Well, neutron bombardmant of bismuth 209 is the easiest way to produce it. In this case, you just need access to even a research reactor. Most decent universities have one. Just about every country that has discovered the wheel or fire is probably capable of making it.

Since polonium can't be detected with gamma ray spectoscopy, perhaps it was believed that it wouldn't be discovered? (Remember, it wasn't detected very quickly...)

This is comedy!!! The fact that people are "surprised" how world politics work is simply amazing. Especially someone working at CNN. Just goes to show how far people will go to do a story other than Iraq or Gas prices or anything else messed up with America. "Let's find a scapegoat. We'll point the finger at them as if they're pointing the finger back at us. Dumb Americans will now think the Cold War is starting back up and they'll forget about Iraq and how expensive gas is."

I haven't watched the "news" in months. Surprisingly enough, when I do turn it on, I haven't missed anything.

As for the best source of current affairs in Russia..... ask your S/O.

Polonium poisoning? Much classier than a few bullets in a hallway, which hardly causes a headline. Either way, the game is played a certain way in Russia, and if you're not playing the way Putin is, the message is out there - you better start.

Well, the diplomatic impact is a bit more serious. The brits are in the middle now, but it could easily be the Americans too.

What if it was anthrax instead of polonium? What if it happened in the states? It really is radiological terrorism, to call it anything else is lying to yourself. It was done to send a message, and to scare people.

And to keep the story in the media for as long as possible!

Being a journalist in Russia is still a dangerous job. I think people of Russia are generally good folks with lives to live. But I know many Russians who are still pretty terrified of the government. It doesnt help when the government controls the media. How many journalists are missing in Russia? Too many. I really dont care for any world leaders, but Putin especially. He's a KGB leftover that's growing mold in the fridge. Still a very shady place, though it doesnt stop me from visiting my sweetheart. CNN is not my choice of news reporting, but tell me how many reporters are missing in America. I said IN America. The media is probably digging a bit too deep and reaching a bit too far, but there is truth in this clip. Russia is littered with counterfeit money and it doesnt surprise me that they would be the suspects of this fraud. What would a group of Russian men be doing in New Hampshire just before Putin's visit?? If you think its just coincidence, let me have a sip of that Kool-Aid.

That's what's so funny about it.

Sure they did it. "We're going to America? Allright. Print up some of that funny money, and let's have some fun!" Why would they care if they defraud the American people or govt? They're on a temporary business trip and have nothing to lose, even if they did get caught.

To be "so surprised" that a "friend" of the President would do this is like being "so surprised" no WMDs were found in Iraq.

Comedy.

Actually, I think I am a little surprised. Putin is trying to get back a little of the prestige lost during the breakup of the old USSR. He wants Russia to be a 'player' again. To allow his security to go around passing counterfeit bills looks a little 'keystone copish' to me. Not the image I think Putin is going for. Of course, maybe Putin really doesn't care if his staff commits a felony while visiting another country...

You've got to admit that it's a lot easier to pass off a phony bill here than to try to exchange even a real one over there for rubles! (OK, so that real bill I had was a little old and dirty....)

Why should he? His staff commits them all the time (at his request) in his country. Being in America should be no different - after all, Bush is his "buddy" so it would be just like if something were to happen back home.... nothing really happened.

I think it would have been even funnier if Putin had gotten the bill from Bush.

As far as counterfeiting goes US currency is the most often currency copied, partly because it is not that difficult to copy(getting more difficult with all the pretty colors and small print), most people dont look at small bills that closely, and as everyone knows americans are stupid and cant detect counterfeit money anyway.

Actually we had a guy who made a fake $50 and gave it to someone at a Taco bell and they gave them change with their tacos. They realized it was a fake because it had Bush's picture on it. sad but true