A senior New York City official briefed by the medical examiner’s office says Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations died last month from a heart attack and no foul play was suspected.
The official was not authorized to reveal the cause of death and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday.
The New York City medical examiner’s office, citing diplomatic protocol, said Friday it was instructed not to publicly release the cause and manner of death for Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who died suddenly last month after collapsing in his office.
A spokesman for Russia’s U.N. Mission said they regarded the decision not to publicly release the cause of death as one that “fully complies with the principles of inviolability of private life and diplomatic immunity.”
—Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire and Colleen Long contributed.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
…what caused his heart to be attacked?
Whew! That’s a relief. I was afraid Bannon might have ordered him hit.
What did he know…who did he know?
The Polonium Flu.
A number of Russian diplomats and spymasters have died fairly recently: Ambassador to Turkey: Andrei Karlov, Peter Polshikov at the Foreign Ministry; Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin; Russia’s Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin; Russian Consul in Athens, Greece, Andrei Malanin; Ex-KGB chief Oleg Erovinkin, etc.
The right-wing nutisphere is offering conspiracy theories and while most are suitably garish it is worth noting that most seem to put Russia in a better light than the US; e.g., a clandestine war is going on between the “deep state” and Russia (pretty clear we’ll be hearing a lot more theories involving the putative “deep state” going forward).
But there is an alternative theory that frankly seems more plausible: Putin is cleaning house of suspected US information sources or double agents; some possibly exposed when #45’s transition team didn’t hold their tongues after attending top-security briefings, others who might have been sources for the infamous “Trump Dossier.”
Accidents and heart attacks do happen but assassinations are a common MO in Putin’s Russia even if still frowned upon in these parts; i.e., purging will be the more typical administration response here (e.g., http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/sessions-seels-resignation-46-attorneys )