A Trio Of Wealthy Russians Made An Enemy Of Putin. At In 1 Lawsuit They’Re All Dead.

From the Wall Street Journal, October 10:

LONDON—Nikolai Glushkov, a Russian émigré, lived solitary inwards a weather-beaten row identify inwards South London amongst an aging domestic dog in addition to a truthful cat named Braveheart. It was the waning days of March, in addition to he was readying himself for something big.

The one-time finance managing director of Russia’s flagship airline, he was preparing for a trial inwards a London court. He told friends it would examine his innocence of longstanding fiscal charges past times Russian authorities in addition to break Aeroflot Russian Airlines every bit a front end for Russian safety services. The representative could likewise examine embarrassing for President Vladimir Putin, past times illuminating a slice of post-Soviet history the Russian authorities has tried to erase.

After running out of funds to pay his ain lawyers, Mr. Glushkov, 68 years old, planned to stand upwardly for himself, in addition to had amassed tomes on British law in addition to forensic accounting. “This representative was his role inwards life,” said Georgy Shuppe, a friend in addition to one-time work concern partner. “He was non going to give up.”

On the eventide of a preliminary courtroom hearing, Mr. Glushkov stopped answering his phone. When his immature lady drove to his identify to investigate, she found him inside, strangled to decease amongst a domestic dog leash. Later that night, dozens of antiterror law cordoned off the identify in addition to began excavation holes inwards his yard.

Nikolay Glushkov, left, sponsored a pirate treasure hunt for children inwards Berkshire, England, inwards 2009.

Photo: Elizaveta Berezovskaya

In Russia, his decease was portrayed past times state-controlled media every bit a homosexual tryst gone wrong. British law are treating it every bit a murder investigation. In August, they posted video footage of a dark van seen close his dwelling identify the nighttime he was strangled, bespeak anyone amongst data to arrive contact.

Mr. Glushkov’s decease has sent a rigid message to Russia’s émigré community. He was part of a trio of once-powerful Russians who, later amassing fortunes during Russian privatizations, helped construct the political organisation that brought Mr. Putin to the presidency. After falling out of favor, the trio fled to England in addition to tried to mountain opposition to their one-time protégé, solely to regard their efforts disrupted past times untimely deaths in addition to costly litigation.

Their leader, Boris Berezovsky, was found hanged inwards a bath of his identify inwards Berkshire, England, inwards 2013, inwards a decease that was initially called a suicide merely similar a shot law are investigating anew. Mr. Berezovsky’s longtime safety assistant, one-time Russian safety officeholder Alexander Litvinenko, was killed inwards 2006 past times a fatal dose of the radioactive isotope polonium-210, a murder the UK of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland blamed on Russia. Another partner, Badri Patarkatsishvili, died of a pump laid on inwards 2008, inwards what law receive got deemed natural causes.

Mr. Glushkov, Mr. Berezovsky’s right-hand man, was the in conclusion alive.

His decease happened i calendar week later the nervus gas poisonings of a one-time Russian spy in addition to his immature lady inwards Salisbury, England—an laid on the British in addition to American governments receive got pinned on 2 alleged Russian agents. The Kremlin denied whatsoever interest inwards this in addition to other assassination attempts in addition to the men tell they were innocent tourists.

The cardinal resultant inwards the Glushkov representative was Aeroflot’s claim that the Russian in addition to his partners, later gaining a foothold inwards Aeroflot management during privatizations, looted $120 1000000 from the company.

In written statements, Aeroflot spokesman Andrey Sogrin said Aeroflot “is non today, nor was it ever, a ‘paymaster for Russia’s safety services.’ ”

He called Mr. Glushkov a “fraudster” who was convicted inwards Russian Federation “of an elaborate system to divert huge sums of Aeroflot’s unusual currency into the Swiss banking concern accounts of companies he controlled.”
Mr. Sogrin said that Aeroflot had cipher to practise amongst his death, adding that “if he had lived” Mr. Glushkov “would receive got faced a substantial civil judgment inwards England, every bit well.”

Mr. Glushkov maintained that Aeroflot’s claim against him was absurd in addition to that the entire case, which injure its agency through the Chancery Division of London High Court for years, was a pretext for Russian authorities to harass him.

The pretrial courtroom filings, including a 51-page witness disputation viewed past times The Wall Street Journal, present he intended to respond past times reopening chapters of 20-year-old Russian history that are sensitive for the Kremlin in addition to Russia’s safety services.

Over the years, the Kremlin has reshaped the story of Mr. Putin’s rising to power, stressing his role every bit a disciplined KGB careerist who rescued the province from oligarchic billionaires who looted the national wealth later the Soviet Union collapsed.

Through government-controlled tidings outlets in addition to cinema documentaries, Moscow has largely erased suggestions that Mr. Putin was helped to ability past times anyone to a greater extent than powerful than himself—such every bit Mr. Berezovsky, Mr. Glushkov’s work concern partner, who helped promote Mr. Putin in addition to knew him personally.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 one-time mathematician, Mr. Berezovsky built a fortune inwards the concluding years of the Soviet Union through an auto dealership called Logovaz, in addition to used his wealth to amass political power. After the country’s dissolution inwards 1991, he gained command of Soviet-era industries through tainted privatization auctions in addition to political influence, amassing a fiscal empire that spanned automobiles, oil, media, in addition to Aeroflot, the national airline. He railroad train his Moscow headquarters inwards a Tsarist-era palace known every bit the Logovaz mansion, where high-level authorities officials waited to regard him inwards the anterooms.

In 1996 Mr. Berezovsky teamed upwardly amongst other oligarchs to bankroll the successful drive of incumbent President Boris Yeltsin in addition to then he could facial expression upwardly downward a challenge from Russian communists. In 1999, when Mr. Yeltsin anointed Mr. Putin every bit his successor, Mr. Berezovsky in addition to his allies helped vault him from virtual obscurity to national prominence past times providing fawning coverage of his presidential drive on ORT, the tv network Mr. Berezovsky i time controlled, in addition to cobbling together a political party, Unity, which served every bit Mr. Putin’s springboard.

Rivals defendant Mr. Berezovsky of funding his political projects past times siphoning billions of dollars from companies he gained command of during privatization, a accuse Mr. Berezovsky denied. Through nearly of the 1990s, Mr. Glushkov was known every bit Mr. Berezovsky’s right-hand adult man inwards managing these enterprises, including the country’s largest auto maker, AvtoVAZ, in addition to the national airline, Aeroflot.

Mr. Putin soured on the oligarchs every bit he built the top-down political organisation that he dominates today, joining forces amongst security-service allies to accept over key businesses. Maria Litvinenko, widow of Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned past times polonium inwards London inwards 2006, said inwards an interview her hubby believed Mr. Berezovsky’s takeover of Aeroflot ultimately destroyed him in addition to his allies because he made in addition to then many enemies inwards the safety establishment....MUCH MORE