Free Press A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2007 by Alexander Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 First Free Press hardcover edition May 2007 FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or [email protected] Manufactured in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goldfarb, Alexander. Death of a dissident: the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the return of the KBG / Alex Goldfarb; with Marina Litvinenko. p. cm. 1. Litvinenko, Alexander, 1962-2006. 2. Dissenters—Russia (Federation)— Biography. 3. Federal’naia sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossii. 4. Political crimes and offenses—Russia (Federation) 5. Russia (Federation)—Politics and government —1991-I. Litvinenko, Marina, 1962-II. Title. DK510. 766.L58G65 2007 327.12470092—dc22 [B] 2007012510 ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-5165-2 ISBN-10: 1-4165-5165-4 eISBN-13: 978-1-416-56076-0 To Sasha CONTENTS Cast of Characters Author’s Note PART I: THE MAKING OF A DISSIDENT 1. Asylum 2. The Strange Major PART II: THE STRUGGLE FOR THE KREMLIN 3. The Robber Baron 4. The Davos Pact PART III: THE DRUMBEATS OF WAR 5. The Rebels 6. The Plotters 7. The Whistle-blowers PART IV: THE MAKING OF A PRESIDENT (Russian-Style) 8. The Loyalist 9. The Victors 10. The Fugitives PART V: THE RETURN OF THE KGB 11. The Exiles 12. The Sleuths 13. The Quarry 14. The “Tiny Nuclear Bomb” 15. The Hall of Mirrors Acknowledgments Index CAST OF CHARACTERS THE SPIES Barsukov, Mikhail Ivanovich, director of the FSB (1995-1996) Khokholkov, Evgeny Grigorievich, head of the FSB’s Division of Operations against Criminal Organizations (URPO) Kovalev, Nikolai Dmitrievich, director of the FSB (1996-1998) Trofimov, Anatoly Vasilievich, Moscow FSB chief (1994- 1997), assassinated in 2005 Volokh, Vyacheslav Ivanovich, head of the FSB’s antiterrorism unit (ATC) (1993-1998) THE WHISTLE-BLOWERS Gusak, Alexander Ivanovich, Sasha’s supervisor in URPO Litvinenko, Alexander Valterovich (Sasha), poisoned in 2006 Ponkin, Andrei Valerievich, Sasha’s second in command Shebalin, Viktor Vasilievich, member of Sasha’s URPO unit (possibly a mole) THE OLIGARCHS Abramovich, Roman Arkadievich (Roma), former partner of Berezovsky, co- owner of Sibneft Berezovsky, Boris Abramovich, former controlling partner in ORT television, owner of LogoVAZ and co-owner of Sibneft, deputy secretary of National Security Council (1996-1997) Gusinsky, Vladimir Alexandrovich (Goose, Volodya), former owner of NTV television and Most-Bank Potanin, Vladimir Olegovich, head of Unexim Bank, first deputy prime minister (1996) THE REFORMERS Chernomyrdin, Viktor Stepanovich, prime minister (1992-1998) Chubais, Anatoly Borisovich, first deputy prime minister (1994-1996) Gaidar, Yegor Timurovich, prime minister (1991-1992) Malashenko, Igor Evgenievich, founder and former president of NTV Nemtsov, Boris Yefimovich, first deputy prime minister (1997-1998) Rybkin, Ivan Petrovich, speaker of the Duma (1994-1996), secretary of National Security Council (1996-1998), presidential candidate (2004) Soros, George, American philanthropist Yeltsin, Boris Nikolaevich, president of the Russian Federation (1991-1999) Yeltsin, Tatyana Borisovna (Tanya), daughter of Boris Yumashev, Valentin Borisovich (Valya), journalist, Yeltsin’s chief of staff, married Tatyana Yeltsin THE AUTOCRATS Korzhakov, Alexander Ivanovich, head of Yeltsin’s security (FSO) (1991- 1996) Kulikov, Anatoly Sergeevich, minister of the interior (1995-1999) Lebed, Alexander Ivanovich, chief of Yeltsin’s National Security Council Primakov, Evgeny Maksimovich (Primus), foreign minister (1996-1998); prime minister (1998-1999) Skuratov, Yuri Ilyich, prosecutor general (1995- 1999) Voloshin, Alexander Stalievich, Putin’s chief of staff (1999-2003) THE REBELS Dudayev, Dzhokhar, first president of Chechnya (1991-1996), assassinated Maskhadov, Aslan, third president of Chechnya (1997-2005), killed in a raid Udugov, Movladi, Islamist leader, member of Dudayev and Maskhadov governments, in exile since 1999 Yandarbiyev, Zelimkhan, second president of Chechnya (1996-1997), assassinated Zakayev, Akhmed, minister of culture, foreign minister, in exile since 2002 THE TERRORISTS Barayev, Arbi, warlord, killed in 2001 Barayev, Movsar, leader of Moscow theater siege, killed in 2002 Basayev, Shamil, warlord, killed in 2006 Gochiyayev, Achemez, suspect in Moscow apartment bombings, denies