Russia's secret services: power gone out of control
A dark picture of Russian democracy emerged at the Frontline Club last night as Susan Richards spoke with journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan about power, accountability and Russia’s secret services.
There was an eeriness to the event that I struggled to shake: the last time I heard a Russian dissident speak at the Frontline, he was dead within months, poisoned with polonium-210 by agents still unidentified. I feared for the safety of both journalists as much as I admired their bravery and integrity. One of the things that galled me most was Irina Borogan’s response the the question of why this book hasn’t yet been published in Russia: “Publishers showed no interest”.
– I covered a talk on the FSB for the Frontline Club. My full article is on the club’s website.
