14) Kompromat

Summary

Podcast Summary: "To Die For" – Episode 14: Kompromat

Overview

In Episode 14 of "To Die For," titled "Kompromat," host Neil Strauss delves deep into the perilous world of Russian intelligence and sexpionage. This episode intricately weaves real historical events with a gripping fictional narrative, exploring themes of corruption, betrayal, and the deadly consequences of espionage. Through the tragic story of Alexander Litvinenko and the harrowing experiences of fictional characters Alia Roza and Sasha, the episode paints a vivid picture of the dark underbelly of Russian intelligence services.

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1. The Tragic Tale of Alexander Litvinenko

The episode opens by recounting the real-life story of Alexander Litvinenko, a former FSB officer who became a whistleblower against Russian organized crime and government corruption.

• Litvinenko’s Defiance and Downfall

  Litvinenko, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and serving as the Deputy Head of a top-secret FSB department, uncovered unsettling connections between high-ranking FSB officers and Russian criminal gangs. His investigations into FSB corruption were met with obstruction from President Vladimir Putin, leading Litvinenko to flee Russia in fear for his life.

  Quote:
  “If these people are not stopped, this lawlessness will flood the country.”
  — Alexander Litvinenko [02:57]

• Life in Exile and Collaboration with Yuri Felchinsky

  Seeking refuge in England, Litvinenko collaborated with Russian historian Yuri Felchinsky, co-authoring the exposé "Blowing Up Terror from Within." Their collaboration highlighted the severe internal corruption within the FSB and the dire consequences of defiance against entrenched power structures.

  Quote:
  “Do not really understand, that we have the largest special services structure in the world, with the largest budget in the world and enormous amount of people, and even now we do not really know how many people work for the FSB.”
  — Alexander Litvinenko [07:15]

• Assassination via Polonium-210

  Litvinenko’s efforts to dismantle the corrupt elements within the FSB culminated in his dramatic poisoning with the radioactive isotope polonium-210. This high-profile assassination underscored the lengths to which the Russian intelligence services would go to silence dissent.

  Quote:
  “If they're operating with radioactive poisoning, then they actually are not able to defect because the FSB will find them very quickly because they are already marked with radiation.”
  — Alexander Litvinenko [05:19]

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2. The Fictional Narrative: Alia Roza and Sasha’s Mission

Transitioning from real events, the episode introduces listeners to a fictional narrative centered around Alia Roza and her colleague Sasha, who are embedded within the Russian intelligence apparatus.

• Gathering Evidence Against Corruption

  Alia’s mission involves infiltrating the operations of Vladimir, a leader of a notorious gang closely linked with corrupt FSB officers. The objective is to gather incriminating evidence against Vladimir and, by extension, expose the corruption within the FSB.

  Quote:
  “I think I found out something important which might be a big explanation in all this mess.”
  — Alia Roza [13:36]

• Betrayal and the Deadly Sting Operation

  As Alia and Sasha delve deeper, they uncover a web of deceit that leads to a fatal sting operation. During a raid intended to capture drug dealers, Sasha is fatally wounded, raising suspicions about the integrity of their own commander and the true motives behind their mission.

  Quote:
  “It was like a quiet evening. I cooked some dinner and I gave him the pill in the glass of water.”
  — Alia Roza [09:08]

• Confrontation with the Commander

  The aftermath of the failed operation forces Alia to confront the possibility that their commander may be deeply entrenched in the corruption they sought to dismantle. Her subsequent attempts to bring evidence to higher authorities are met with violence, culminating in a brutal encounter that leaves her physically and emotionally scarred.

  Quote:
  “He told me, this is the end. This is the last moment of your life.”
  — Commander [32:12]

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3. Themes and Insights

• The Dangers of Whistleblowing in Authoritarian Regimes

  Both Litvinenko’s real-life experience and the fictional account of Alia and Sasha highlight the immense risks faced by individuals who challenge corrupt systems from within.

• Psychological Toll of Espionage

  The episode delves into the mental anguish and moral dilemmas faced by spies, illustrating how their missions often lead to personal turmoil and tragic outcomes.

• Systemic Corruption and Its Impact

  The pervasive corruption within Russian intelligence services, as depicted in both narratives, underscores the challenges in combating entrenched power structures.

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4. Conclusion and Reflections

Episode 14 of "To Die For" serves as a compelling exploration of the deadly games played within the corridors of power in Russian intelligence. By intertwining the true story of Alexander Litvinenko with the fictional saga of Alia Roza and Sasha, Neil Strauss offers listeners a nuanced understanding of the perils faced by those who dare to expose corruption and the tragic consequences that often follow.

Final Notable Quote:

“I gave him this word. And I had almost like every single evidence towards my commander. I had photos, him and the criminal leader, this army friend of Vladimir.”
— Alia Roza [28:40]

This poignantly captures Alia’s resolve to seek justice, even in the face of insurmountable odds and personal loss.

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Closing Notes

Episode 14: "Kompromat" masterfully blends historical facts with a riveting fictional narrative to shed light on the clandestine operations and moral complexities within Russian intelligence. It serves as a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in espionage and the enduring struggle against systemic corruption.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

For are available now to binge absolutely free. But for ad free listening and exclusive bonuses, subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

Or on Apple Podcasts. Warning the following episode contains explicit language and sexual themes.

[Narrator]

Listener discretion is advised.

[Ameca Insurance Representative]

Topping our worldly today is a tale.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

That seems straight out of a spy novel. So audacious, so horrific, it would have to be a work of fiction, but it's all too true.

[Narrator]

This is the tragic story of Alexander Litvinenko.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

In Russian I have name Alexander Litvinenko. I am former KGB FSB officer. My rank Lieutenant Colonel. My position Deputy Head of Section, Top secret department of fsb.

[Narrator]

Alexander Litvinenko was a former FSB officer who was fighting organized crime. He soon discovered a connection between high ranking officers in the FSB and Russian criminal gangs. When he began investigating this FSB corruption, he was blocked by Putin. Frustrated, he soon became a whistleblower for the FSB's dirty tricks, their organized crime activity, their secret assassinations, even their supposed involvement in the terrorist apartment bombing that was used to justify the second Chechen War.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

The former Federal Security Service agent admits he's worried about coming forward with the allegations and says he fears for the life of his wife and child. But Litvinenko says he decided to come forward because, quote, if these people are not stopped, this lawlessness will flood the country.

[Narrator]

Litvinenko eventually fled Russia for England, where he shared his secrets, worked to try and bring down Putin, and sought protection from the British government. While there, he connected with Russian historian Yuri Felchinsky and together they wrote the book Blowing Up Terror from Within. Velchinsky recalls the last time he saw Litvinenko in person.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

The last time we met in London, and there was a memorial service for Anna Politkowskaya, which was killed like a week before. And I came slightly earlier, the door was still closed, and I saw Litvinenko from a distance. He was running to me and yelling to me, yuri, I just got British citizenship. Now they will not be able to touch me. And so this was on 13th of October, and on the 1st of November, he was poisoned. On the 1st of November, just after.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

He become a British citizen, he met.

[Narrator]

Two former colleagues from Russia's intelligence world in the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel. Two days later, he was admitted to his local hospital, vomiting and in great pain. Here's Yuri Felchinsky again with something I never knew about how poisoning missions work.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

This is very important. You notice probably that every time somebody is poisoned, it's usually like two people or even more involved. And this has a reason. The FSB still does not trust those people whom they sent to kill because the chance that they would defect is very high. Now, that's why you always send them in groups, at least two people, and they have to be together all the time. They sleep in one room in the hotel. So they really. They're not allowed to be alone because one is controlling the other.

[Narrator]

There's one other safeguard that helped keep Litvinenko's assassins from defecting and abandoning their mission. The fact that they used radioactive polonium210, said to be one of the most toxic substances on Earth Earth, to do the job.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

If they're operating with radioactive poisoning, then they actually are not able to defect because the FSB will find them very quickly because they are already marked with radiation.

[Narrator]

A few days after Litvinenko, the FSB whistleblower, entered the hospital for treatment, Velcinsky spoke with him. And Litvinenko was feeling optimistic.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Now, I talked to him by phone several days soon after the 1st of November, and he told me that, look, I was poisoned, but I survived. And then after the first 10 days, his health deteriorated.

[Narrator]

What Velczinsky, Litvinenko's co writer and friend, shares next explains something that few talk about when covering these poisonings in the news. How unbelievably horrible they are.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

He was telling me that, you know, this was so painful that if I have a choice. And Litvinenko was at one point in Russia arrested by the government and put in prison for almost a year. And he said, you know, if you give me a choice to spend another year in prison or to go through this poisoning, I would rather spend another year in prison. That's how painful this was. And on 23rd of November, he died.

[Narrator]

In the late afternoon of Thursday the 23rd of November, the police confirmed with the Health Protection Agency that a significant quantity of the radioactive isotope polonium 210210 had been found in Mr. Litvinenko's urine. I asked after experiencing all this, what does he think people don't know about Russian intelligence? That they need to know what people.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Do not really understand, that we have the largest special services structure in the world, with the largest budget in the world and enormous amount of people, and even now we do not really know how many people work for the fsb.

[Narrator]

And so we resume Aaliyah's story as she's unknowingly about to begin a similar journey with her colleague Sasha. Uncover corruption in the FSB from within. An investigation that, as history clearly shows, does not usually end well for the agents involved. And this investigation would be no exception.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

I had to kill you. Really sorry. I had to do it. Got to go on my own. You didn't guess the behind I was lo my gun. I got you. I tell you. I had to kill you. Was it so much fun?

[Narrator]

Episode 14 Chapter 30 Gathering evidence it was finally time.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

Sasha brought me sleeping pills which supposed to help me to put Vladimir into long sleep. Deep, deep sleep.

[Narrator]

Alia's mission was to slip sleeping pills into the dinner of her target, Vladimir, leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in the city. While he was knocked out, she planned to photograph the documents in his office for her colleagues in the fskn, the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

It was like a quiet evening. I cooked some dinner and I gave him the pill in the glass of water. Then we went upstairs and I was massaging and rubbing his shoulders and he was like just laying on the side. And I was telling him some kind of like bullshit from the university about my teachers. So it was like, really slow. There is a technique about hypnosis when you want like your target to relax and fall asleep, you put your target into the trance. So I did that and Vladimir started to sleep. And I was laying looking at the ceiling, looking at myself and thinking, how do I do it? I was waiting till about like 1am so it will be late, late night. And very, very slowly, almost like a cat. And I walked out from the room into that office room. I took my camera and I took the small, like flashlight and I basically photographed all these papers. And I just saw like many numbers and some Places and many, many different names. And now I open also notebook. I did like all the photos over there with telephone numbers so I photographed everything and when I finished I just returned to bed and I hided my bag with the camera like underneath of the clothes which was on the armchair. Early morning we woke up. Vladimir felt good and he said, oh, I had such a good sleep finally. Yeah, thanks to me.

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[Narrator]

The next morning, Alia prepared to meet with her colleague Sasha and hand over the camera, making sure to download a copy of the files for herself first. They were both new to intelligence work and given this mission by their commander to fail. But inexperience often comes with enthusiasm, and they were succeeding, perhaps too well for their own safety.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

I was in rush. The only one thing which I did, I took the memory card. So I downloaded all the things in my computer, I installed it back to the camera, and I passed the camera to Sasha.

[Narrator]

Back at home, Alia sat down at her computer to examine the photograph she'd taken of the documents in Vladimir's office.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

And what I've seen there blew my mind. I texted Sasha and I said, I think I found out something important which might be a big explanation in all this mess. And maybe it gives us the light of what just happened with this case. Let's meet at the same place tomorrow. He said, yeah, let's do it. And he didn't come, he didn't show up. And I was really worried. I didn't know exactly what to do. I called him, he didn't pick up. I texted, he didn't reply.

[Narrator]

When Aliyah saw Vladimir later that day, she tried to conceal her worries about Sasha and what may have happened to him.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

So Vladimir, he asked me, like, is everything okay? And I said, like, no, everything is okay. And I try not to be worried about. About Sasha. And that day, I heard a conversation between Vladimir and his army friend. And it was a big argument. And army friend was saying to Vladimir, we've been losing many, many drugs recently, and this is not good. I'm responsible in front of this people in Afghanistan, and if something goes wrong, they will cut off my head, not yours. And Vladimir said, it won't happen. I will protect you. Everything will be all right. But the conversation finished on the note where I understood that the army friend wasn't really satisfied. I reached out Sasha again the next day, and he came to that place where we usually met. And I was like, almost screaming at him like, I'm like, what the hell? You didn't pick up the phone. You, like, freaked me out. I thought something happened to you. And he said, the reason why I couldn't contact you is because for the whole night and day, I was spying on our commander. And you'll be shocked what I will tell you right now. So in these documents, which I photographed, there was a few times written the name of our commander and Sasha when he was spying on our commander, Our commander had a meeting with Vladimir's friend. Then he said, why our commander sent us to this drug operation, and we arrested people and we confiscated drugs. And yet now he's speaking with this guy. I asked Sasha if he has done any photos or anything like that. So apparently he did, which is good. And also we had this document stating that our commander was involved. So more or less, I had some evidences, some compromise, let's say, to our commander. And I started to dig in more. And eventually, in my head, I created a plan how to save myself and Vladimir out of all this big mess.

[Narrator]

Chapter 31 the Sting the next day, Aliyah met with her friend Anna, who is part of the gang's entourage, to see if she knew anything more about what was going on.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

She said the man with whom she was dating, he said to her that the whole gang started to be divided. So slowly, the army friend were bringing his people together to create kind of a good confrontation towards Vladimir's people. I felt sorrow because I started to realize that there is something going on behind his back, and he doesn't even know, you know, like, I wanted to kind of, like, protect him.

[Narrator]

This is probably not standard practice for an undercover agent, but this is what happens when you mix love and War. As much as the state would like to turn people into robots, or at least sociopaths without empathy, they're still human at the end of the day. And a human connection usually wins over a work order. When Alia met with Vladimir next, she tried to find a way to hint to him that his army friend, his second in command, who had saved his life during the war, might be plotting to betray him.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

I tried to start the conversation, and I asked him, like, do you trust your friend? And he said, yeah, I trust him. He saved my life. I owe him for that. I understood that moment that it would be just almost impossible to tell him anything. I thought, like, you know, I will find a way how to make it right. So next day, we met with Sasha again. And he gave me some photos, like, there were, like, couple photos of our commander standing with this army friend. And he told me, I'm worried about my life. He said, I know too much now, and you do. And he said, if something happens with me, promise that you will take care of this information, and you will make sure that he will get what he deserve. And that moment I remembered about Cornell, because I remember that dinner when I first time met my future commander. And I remembered them sitting and drinking vodka and just having this kind of look to each other. And something told me that all of them involved in this thing, something like, it's just like a gut feeling, but yet without evidences. It's just. It's just a thought.

[Narrator]

Alia told Sasha about the colonel, her abuser at the military academy, and the commander's close friend, and asked if it was possible to see if the colonel was involved with the gang at all. Sasha replied that they should just keep taking down the trafficking network and watching everyone closely, and eventually the truth would be revealed.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

He said, like, let's see, like, what would be their reaction? Once we know, we will understand who is really involved in there and who is not.

[Narrator]

They decided to raid another one of the spots on Vladimir's map. They timed the operation to take place during a celebration that the gang was planning for a member's birthday. This way, Elia could watch everyone's responses.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

Then Sasha can arrest them, and we will see how, like other people in this chain, how will they respond? So that day, we organized everything. I remember even, like, what I was wearing that day.

[Narrator]

That afternoon, Ilia's colleague Sasha showed up with her team at the suspected drug dealing operation, and, as usual, sent in an informant to buy drugs with marked money. Meanwhile, Illiya was with Vladimir at the gang member's birthday celebration.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

So everybody was drinking for the health of their birthday person. And suddenly the army guys stand up and he leaves. Somebody called him. I opened my bag and I texted Sasha that the army guy just left. Vladimir is here. I'm just like, I'm controlling the whole situation. I will text you. What's going on? He texted me, it's okay, we work on it. I will text you later. And I never heard from him since that moment.

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[Yuri Felchinsky]

So I'm sitting there. Vladimir is like, stressed. He receiving some calls. He replies, but it's all kind of like, yes, no, yes, no. And I couldn't understand what's going on. I'm just sitting, but I'm going to the toilet. Text to Sasha, hey, what's up? Text me. No answer came back again from the toilet. Sitting again with Vladimir, everybody drinking and so on. I couldn't eat or drink. I was just sitting there and pretending that I'm okay and I'm smiling. Go to the toilet, text Sasha. No messages back, coming back again, sitting, stressing again and again and again and again. And I had like this kind of feeling inside of me where, you know, something is like, not good. We were driving home and Vladimir was sitting with almost probably the same face because, like, we didn't really talk. I was just like opening my bag and trying to see the telephone. My small Matarola if there any message from Sasha. And it wasn't, it was empty. We just drove back. When we came to the city, Vladimir was like, intense. And I said, you know, like, I don't feel good. I want to just like, lay down, can you drop me home? And he's like, yeah, of course. Besides, I want to check something too. So he dropped me home. And I didn't call to the commander, obviously. And I didn't call anyone apart from one person who was in our team. I texted him, he didn't reply. I called him, he picked up the call and I said like, hey, hey, it's me. What's going on? And I heard his voice was almost like broken. His voice sounded like so far away. And I asked him, do you know where is Sasha? He said, yes. So I said, so what happened? Can you tell me? He said, so we sent our drug bait guy who does all this, like transaction with the Mark money. And when we entered the house, we entered the main door. He said like, there was like few Afghani men and they started to shoot. And Sasha was the first who entered as the commander of the team. And he said he was the one who received the first bullet. And I asked him, Sasha always wearing the bullet protection jacket. He said, yes, he does. And I said, so is he okay? He said, no. And I said like, where was the bulletproof jacket? And he didn't reply to me and said like, where was the bulletproof jacket? I was almost like screaming. And he said, he's in the morgue. I said, what's going on with the commander? What did he say? He said like, he was like really pissed off. And he said that he's all going to put us to jail because they did the whole operation without his permission. I standed there at the room and I just couldn't. I couldn't do anything. And I, you know, like this feeling where I started to hate, like the strong like anger, the anger that he's just not here anymore. And the guilt.

[Narrator]

Aliyah felt that the commander or someone must have told the drug dealers to expect a raid and to expect impunity, otherwise they wouldn't have had their guns out and started firing immediately.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

And they just hated our commander so much. I felt like he betrayed Sasha. He betrayed his own people for his own good. It was a very dark, dark day. I remember Sasha told me the last time I saw him, if something happened to me, promise me that you will get the justice and you will finish this case. And I gave him this word. And I had almost like every single evidences towards my commander. I had photos, him and the criminal leader, this army friend of Vladimir. I had handwritten name on the papers. And I was thinking, okay, so if I will have all these documents and all this Evidence as whom do I go to prove it? That my commander is criminal. And there was like one main commander who was the general of the whole state. The next morning and the Monday, I called to the receptionist of the general. I said to her, like, I have some information about the case. I have some evidences. I need to speak with the commander. And she said to me, oh, like, you can pass me information, I'll give it to him. I said like, no, I need to meet him in person. I cannot give this information to anyone apart from him. She said, I will speak with him. And just basically like in a few minutes. She called me back, she said, when can you come in? I said, I can come in like in 30 minutes. She said, he will be waiting for you. I got dressed, I put the files into usb. I took the usb. I took these photos which Sasha gave me. I was just thinking if I can really trust. But I wanted just to understand if he knows anything or not and if he's really involved or not. So I came into the main building, beautiful with the big columns. Then I walk through the security check. I said, I have an appointment with the general. They let me in. I went upstairs to the second floor. I came to the reception and there was a woman about 45 years old and she was having this strict face like all the military people do. And she said, he's waiting for you.

[Narrator]

To Die for continues in episode 15.

[Yuri Felchinsky]

He told me, this is the end. This is the last moment of your life. And when he told that, he punched me from the side so hard that it just crushed my bone.

[Narrator]

To Die for is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with iHeart podcasts. The show is hosted and written by me, Neil Strauss, with additional writing assistance by Tristan Bankston. Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. For iHeart podcasts, executive producers are Matt Frederick and Alex Williams. Lead producer and editor is Tristan Bankston. Additional editing by Myles Clark and Christian Brown. Supervising producer, Tracy Kaplan. Consultants include Nooshin Felizadeh, Chelsea Gooden and Jamie Albright. Artwork by Byron McCoy. Original music by makeup and vanity set mixed and mastered by Dayton Cole. Our theme song is Killer Shangri La by Psychotic Beats. Featuring Patty Amour. Special thanks to Oren Rose and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing, Oren Siegel, Becky Jensen, the Nord Group, Meredith Stedman, Rose Baruch and Alex Vespersted.

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