what's the history of Russia using poison?

[donsu]

poison and Russia has been in the news in the last yr. so I was wondering about the historical use of poison by Russia?

currently:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061120/ap_on_re_eu/britain_russian_spy

London hospital moves former spy to ICU

A former Russian spy who was poisoned has been moved to an intensive care unit after his condition deteriorated slightly, and a senior Kremlin spokesman on Monday dismissed as "sheer nonsense" allegations that the Russian government was involved in harming him.

-snip-

(well, somebody did)
-------------------------------

and

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/world/europe/20poison.html?ex=1321678800&en=566599dfecca5245&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Intrigue Swirls in Ex-K.G.B. Man’s Illness

The British police said Sunday that they were investigating the suspected poisoning of Alexander V. Litvinenko, a Russian former K.G.B. operative living in exile in Britain who had been inquiring into the killing of a journalist in Moscow last month.

The Russian authorities had no immediate comment on suggestions in news reports that the Russian secret service had poisoned Mr. Litvinenko, who is hospitalized and seriously ill, because he had criticized former colleagues and President Vladimir V. Putin.

-snip-
------------------------


smirk carries a food taster with him when he travels

ah, the world of powerful men and their murderous ways

[Fovea]

1. Yes.

The old counter intel used several sophisticated agents such as ricin and neurotoxins.

It seems like the latest trends are more industrial toxic stylee. I think that is for plausible deniability.

[donsu]

2. how about poison use before the old counter intel used it?

nt

[NoPasaran]

3. Stalin supposedly had several people poisoned

Including the writer Maksim Gorki. But lacking any sort of open access to reliable records, it's hard to be sure one way or another.

[donsu]

4. and before Stalen? I'm just wondering if poison has a long history there

long enough to be a tradition

[blindpig]

5. Well, there was Rasputin....

bullets,poison and strangulation if I remember correctly.:toast:

[Poiuyt]

8. The actual cause of his death was by drowning!

After all the poisonings and shootings, they threw him in the river. When they found him, the autopsy revealed water in his lungs.

[Fovea]

6. google Rasputin

Note the variety of methods used to
dispatch him. This was Tsarist Russia, N. Romanov II.
Poisoning was a very common method of killing before forensic medicine and criminalogy made it far more tracable. Having said that, certain cultures found it more appealing than others.

Russia likewise, but not AFAIK as much as Italy or Spain. As I rmember, there were some good studies on poisoning in literature vs the host culture. You might want to google this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin
http://www.espionageinfo.com/Ba-Bl/Biochemical-Assassination-Weapons.html

[donsu]

9. thank you for the links

nt

[librechik]

7. can't think of a time when they haven't been accused of it

and several well-documented incidents in the last century or so.

It's the Soviet weapon of choice.

Remember when they gassed a whole theater to get the terrorist who were holding hostages there? What was that, 5 years ago?

[Fovea]

11. yes, I had forgotten about that.

n/t

[catabryna]

10. Looooong History...

Examples are numerous and persist to the present. One has only to look at Viktor Yushchenko.

[kestrel91316]

12. First instance I know of was Rasputin. He was hard to kill.

They poisoned and shot and stabbed him and I think finally strangled the bugger.