Anna

I am writing my script about Anna and Nord Ost and spent many hours every day rereading her articles. she had a very unique style of writing. you become part of her thinking process and her emotional journey. It doesn't register when i read about Russians arresting suspects in her murder. She really was an amazing woman whose goal was to help those in tragic situation, to make their voices heard, to fight those who abuse power. To fight evil.

Met my friend today, former bureau chief of Al Jazeera in the US now attempting to set up independent ie out of state's control news channel in Cairo, Egypt. His main sponsor has reduced the amount of the promised investment, and is very likely to be trying to pull out of the deal altogether, most certainly out of fear of the backlash from the state. Currently there isn't a single news channel in Egypt that's not under state's control so i do hope my friend succeeds. But it's a hard road.

Watched a fragment on cnn today about prostitution in Iraq. Many women who as a result of this war, end up in a dire situation, with their husbands killed or jobless, with money to feed their children become prostitutes. i am trying to imagine how they do it, because they don't parade the streets in stockings. a lot of those women try to kill themselves because they do it still unable to accept that they are doing it. It's hard enough for those who slip into that kind of activity in the western world, it's 100 times worse in their culture.

i am now writing a number of essays about my life in the context of Russia and Russian politics. I am having a great time doing it feeling absolutely no need to be politically correct.

could it be?

There is an interesting idea that Putin before he leaves office to clean his name will order a proper investigation into Beslan and Nord Ost and actually have people who were responsible punished. Actual evil bastards who were behind it. I would so love to see that happen i am going to start praying. The tape of Beslan school explosions that shows that there was an explosion outside the theatre surfaced recently out of nowhere for a reason....

Another very important aspect is that the law in the Russian constitution that doesn't allow for Russian citizens to be extradited was actually part of trying to move away from the Soviet ways. It was created to insure that Russian citizens won't be given out (or exchanged) for political reason the way Solzhenitsyn and Rostrapovich were back in the 60s and 70s.

lost on translation

The info that came out and i was questioned on on the radio is that Russia threatens to throw out 80 diplomats. That was false info as all russians said was that if they reacted with the same measures as Britain to their extradition demands by now British mbassy would be 80 people short. and it's small thngs like this that add to the growing mutual dislike.

Brits have expelled 4 Russian diplomats as a result of Russia refusing to extrodite Lugovoy. This whole this is a circus. It's a joke. Why on earth would Britain want to ruin its relationship with Russia is beyond me. It's Russia! Russia has 116 dollars worth of natural resources per person when Englad has 9. Russia is one of the key players in war on terror (as much as i hate this term, the fact remains). I was commenting on the radio this morning and they asked: So, Natalia, do you think this is a beggining of another cold war? I said, i hope we're smarter and wiser than that...

As i am reading The death of the Dissident i am feeling really sorry for Litvinenko. He was fooled and used in the most disgusting manner. At the same time i can't ignore claims made by the people i do trust that he was 'ratting out his own' like there is no tomorrow from the start. I think that once he became exposed to B. Berezovsy's riches he became to blinded by them that he started to do everything he could to become some part of this lifestyle (possibly not without pressure from his wife. It is then that he started building his polonium proof coffin. That last time i saw him he was like a disorientated scared puppy in the way he behaved around B.B and A Z. It was disgusting. If they would have told him to eat dog shit in front of everyone he would have done. There was no feeling at all that he was among friends. Desperation and fear. Soon followed by his agonising death.

Russophobia, for real...

Met up with my friend last night, one of this country's best journalists who works for one of the world's oldest and most respected publications. She told me how recently, at a meeting where most of her paper's top people were present, the idea came up and was widely and passionately supported to do a set of pieces on Russia. The connecting theme being how much we hate Russians and why. Apparently the word 'hate' was used more than once in this emotional discussion. The range of topics was everything from how Russians made property in the UK unaffordable to evil Russian nature through the centuries. Never thought i'd have to side with Russia's legal representatives, such as the Russian ambassador to the UK who say there is evidence of serious Russophobia in this country. Like my friend says this nation needs to grow up.

Me as the FSB/MI6/etc Agent

A Russian internet news site, a very popular one, which operates from the States has published my interview but with the following headline 'Whose project is 'Pelevine'. It is later implied that i work for the secret services, but does not specify which ones and mentions both Russians and Brits as main possibilities. The lady who wrote it later emailed me saying don't worry about this, a healthy portion of scandal hasn't hurt anyone. what????

www.newswe.com

Me and Goldfarb on RTVi

Last Sunday as Bush and Putin were meeting for an informal talks i was a guest on a popular political show Perekrestok on RTVi. It is a crossfire type show and i was up against Mr Alex Goldfarb, Mr Berezovsky's brain. The subject was Amercan-Russian relationship Mr Goldfarb claiming that America must boycott Russia which, as he sees it, has become a police state. He and the host tried to stir clear of the Litvinenko topic. There were many calls coming in and people were casting votes in his or my support. I was able to hold my own even though i was very nervous beforehand. I did well i think. He ended up getting 73% and i got 27% which really isn't bad considerig the mind set of most of the audience of this program. Many of my friends and family who happened to be watching said that i came across very strong. It really was an incredible experience. The calls were actually in my support.

Ti ch'ih halop budesh? That's how i feel more and more. There is this pressure to side with one political group or another and i don't like it. Like i am expected to stand fully by the agenda of 1 group and 1 group alone. I feel i want to 'vote against all candidates'.

In NY an influencial media person asked me in whose interests it might be to giving Yulia Latynina, a radically anti-Putin journalist, as much press as possible. This request for my friend's participation in the Latynina campaign was coming from Mr Goldfarb, Berezovsky's right hand man. They are trying to make her into new Anna Politkovskaya. She is demonstrating amazing loyalty to those people. She is also making an attempt to become the next Nord Ost guru but that will never happen as Tatyana Karpova and Nord Ost non-government organisation are about to take her to court over her first and most likely last Nord Ost article in Novaya Gazeta. Also, the position is taken.

So Oleg Gordievsky, former KGB colonel, was awarded a medal by the Queen for his work for British secret services. To me this means that the British government is consciously taking the confrontation with the Russians to another level. Within months we went from Russians awarding medals to British naval officers for saving the Russian submarine crew in 2005 and Brits giving medals to the Russian secret services guys for their help after the 2005 London bombings to this. I foresee possible arrests of the 'Russian spies' on British territory and the relationship deteriorating even further. Sadly.

I am planning a trip to Chechnya possibly with my guys from Russia today and Al Jazeera. I am thinking of the angle and what the focus should be. I reaaly want to concentrate on how young people feel and what they think about the future of their land and their own. I'd love to talk to Ramzan too.

I've been thinking about politics rather too much recently and i do have moments when i want to get out. But...i still have a lot to say and, more importantly apply myself in a practical way. And Nord Ost, especially the people, is not something you take up when you feel like it. It's for life.

Chechenskoe Obshestvo

I was at the Frontline last nigth for Q and A session with Timur Aliev chief editor of the most liberal publication in Chechnya Chechen Society. I asked him a question which he kindly answered, and when it was all done came up to him. I said 'thank you' and he goes 'Thank you, for the play'. 'You know me?' He said 'Of course, you were on the front page of our paper'. A lovely man, very smart and brave. Answering my question one of the very interesting things he said was that young people in Chechnya actually genuinely look up to Ramzan Kadyrov and the claims by the rebels that young Chechens are joining their side in their hundreds is not true.

load of bull

As long as people believe that ‘FSB blowing up Russia’ is banned in Russia when in reality it’s on sale in every book store, and Novaya Gazeta is somehow seized before it arrives on news stands when in fact it’s widely available, the rift between Russia and the West will grow.

Anna’s last book published only in Russian just went on sale in Russia and is already sold out.

In view of the recent US-Russia related events and the forthcoming showdown at the G8 i suggest everyone watches Dr.Strangelove just to reenforce for themselves how pathetic this whole arms race idea is. I saw it again a couple of days ago as i am writing my own political farse.