2015-12-19

famous corrupt Russian propagandist dies by "heart attack"

11.7: news.pol/purges/murder/
famous corrupt Russian propagandist dies by "heart attack":
summary:
. when a famously corrupt Russian propagandist
dies by "heart attack":
I wondered if the state of Russia
might assassinate officials who discredit the state,
as this is the 2nd time he's been unseated by Russia
for what appears to be ethical failures.
. there may be classified directed energy weapons
that can cause a heart attack
"using the Venus ECCM technique
– i.e., warping of its wavefront –
to destroy the body’s control of its heartbeat."
[Tom Bearden 2007]

Mikhail Lesin was a former Russian press minister
and mass media expert credited with
inspiring the creation of Russia Today (now RT).
[rt.com 11.7]

. RT was set up in 2005
to convey a pro-Kremlin interpretation of world events.
It has come under repeated criticism from
the UK’s broadcasting watchdog [ofcom.org.uk].
Ofcom sanctioned it in September
for breaching the broadcasting code four times
in a series of misleading or biased programmes
on the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. [theguardian.com]

Kremlin’s press service responding to Lesin's death:
"The president [Russian President Vladimir Putin]
has a high appreciation for Mikhail Lesin’s
massive contribution to the creation of
modern Russian mass media" [rt.com 11.7].
[ modern Russia has increasingly state-controlled media.]

Lesin has been accused of limiting press freedom in Russia
[timesofisrael.com 11.7];
[suppressing complaints about Putin's state?]

. from 2013 to early 2015, Lesin was CEO of Garprom-Media
[ controversial for bringing a large media org
under state control in 2000.]
Lesin 2007:
“It’s been a long time since I was scared by the word propaganda,”
Lesin also said:
"We need to promote Russia internationally.
Otherwise, we’d just look like roaring bears on the prowl."
[rt.com 11.7]

. by 2014.12.19 Lesin was planning on
stepping down as CEO of Gazprom-Media
even when no replacement had been named.
. some claimed the decision was made
personally by President Vladimir Putin.
others say it was influenced by
billionaire Yury Kovalchuk, a close Putin ally;
[and the obvious state-sponsored motive is that]
RFE/RL reported a week before, in 2014.12.19:
that U.S. federal authorities planned to investigate Lesin
for possible violations of anti-money-laundering laws
during his purchase of expensive California real estate.
Lesin has denied the allegations,
saying they have been trumped up.
[themoscowtimes.com 2014.12.19]
. he didn't finalize stepping down until 2015.1.12
when he could be replaced by Dmitry Chernyshenko,
the former head of the 2014
Winter Olympic Games organizing committee.
[zapaday.com 2015.1.12]

. Republican Senator Robin Wicker of Mississippi
called for a probe of Lesin
on suspicion of money laundering and corruption.
. Lesin was working for the government,
when he allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets
in Europe and the United States
including $28 million in real estate in Los Angeles.
Senator Wicker doubted that "a Russian public servant"
could have demanded such a high salary.
[timesofisrael.com`ABC report]

. the usa's suspicions against Lesin
are seen as part of usa's sanctions against Russia;
however, in autumn 2009
Lesin was sacked as adviser to the president for
"failure to comply with the rules of the civil service
and ethical behavior of civil servants".
[forbes.ru 2014.8.13]

TASS` the Russian Embassy in the US:
Lesin was found dead in his hotel room in Washington, DC,
Police found no signs of foul play,
but a formal investigation has been launched.
The Russian Embassy in Washington on Friday
confirmed the death of Lesin,
whose body was discovered Thursday. [11.5]
Russian State-owned RIA Novosti`Mikhail Lesin's family:
. Mikhail Lesin died from a "heart stroke",
at the age of 57 on Wednesday [11.4]. [rt.com 11.7]

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT,
the Kremlin-directed news agency
tweeted:
“Lesin is dead. It’s impossible to believe.
Please, everyone who knew and didn’t know him,
remember him well. He was an absolutely unique man.”
. RT suggested without any citation that
“Lesin had been suffering from a prolonged unidentified illness”.
[theguardian.com 11.7]

. but obviously if he died of a heart attack,
it was preceded by years of Metabolic Syndrome;
nevertheless, I wondered if the state of Russia
might assassinate officials who discredit the state,
as this is the 2nd time he's been unseated by Russia
for what appears to be ethical failures.

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