Another Russian Reporter Dies-Falls From Window, Knew Russian Weapons Sales To Iran-Syria Options

[mutters]

Russian reporter dies in fall from window; some media suspect foul play



The Associated Press
Monday, March 5, 2007

MOSCOW:

A military correspondent for Russia's top business daily has died after falling out of a window, and some media alleged Monday that he might have been killed for his critical reporting.

Ivan Safronov, the military affairs writer for Kommersant, died Friday after falling from a fifth-story window in the stairwell of his apartment building in Moscow, according to officials; his body was found by neighbors shortly after the fall.

With prosecutors investigating the death, Kommersant and some other media suggested foul play.

"The suicide theory has become dominant in the investigation, but all those who knew Ivan Safronov categorically reject it," Kommersant said in an article Monday.

Safronov's colleagues and relatives have described him as a strong, cheerful person who would be extremely unlikely to kill himself.

Safronov, who had served as a colonel in the Russian Space Forces before joining Kommersant in 1997, frequently angered authorities with his critical reporting and was repeatedly questioned by the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor, which suspected him of divulging state secrets. No charges were filed because Safronov was able to prove his reports were based on open sources, Kommersant said.

Last December, Safronov angered the authorities when he was the first to report the third consecutive launch failure of the new Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, which President Vladimir Putin hailed as a basis of the nation's nuclear might for years to come. The authorities never acknowledged the launch failure.

"For some reason, it is those journalists who are disliked by the authorities who die in this country," the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets said Monday. "Ivan Safronov was one of those. He knew a lot about the real situation in the army and the defense industries and he reported it."

Russia is among the most dangerous countries for journalists, plagued by attacks on reporters who seek to expose official corruption and other abuses. The problem was highlighted by the October killing of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter and a harsh critic of human rights abuses in Chechnya.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in January that 13 Russian journalists have been murdered in contract-style killings since 2006, making Russia the third deadliest country for journalists after Iraq and Algeria over the past 15 years.



http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/05/...lists-Death.php

[mutters]

Russian journalist who died in fall investigated weapons deals with Iran, Syria


Mar 06 2007, 14:22

MOSCOW (AP)

A Russian journalist who died after falling from a fifth-story window had received threats while gathering material for a report claiming Moscow planned to provide sophisticated weapons to Syria and Iran, his newspaper said Tuesday.

Prosecutors have opened an inquest into the death of Ivan Safronov, a military affairs writer for the daily Kommersant who died Friday in what some media said could have be a murder. Kommersant said Tuesday that Safronov told his editors he would write a report about Russian plans to sell weapons to Iran and Syria via Belarus, but they said he had not yet submitted the article.

Kommersant said Safronov recently told colleagues that he had been warned he would face a criminal investigation on charges of revealing state secrets if he reported allegations that Russia had struck a deal to supply highly advanced Iskander missiles to Syria. If confirmed, such a contract would upset the balance of forces in the Mideast and likely deeply anger Israel and the United States.

"Ivan Safronov said he was not going to write about it for a while because he was warned that it would create a huge international scandal and the FSB (Federal Security Service) would launch a criminal case on charges of breaching state secrets," it said.

Safronov did not say where the warning came from, according to Kommersant, but he had repeatedly been questioned in the past by the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main KGB successor, which suspected him of divulging state secrets in his reports.

Russia's arms sales to such nations as Iran and Syria have been a top irritant in its relations with the United States and have drawn criticism from Israel.

Ignoring U.S. and Israeli criticism, Moscow has delivered 29 Tor-M1 mobile surface-to-air missile systems to Iran under a $700 million contract. Russian news reports have said repeatedly that the Iranians were pushing Moscow to sell much more potent, long-range S-300 air defense missile systems.

Kommersant reported that, before his trip to an international arms fair last month in the United Arab Emirates, Safronov said he would try to confirm indications that Russia planned to sell S-300 missiles to Iran and Su-30 fighter jets to Syria via Belarus. Safronov later called the editors from Abu Dhabi and said he had received the necessary confirmation from Russian officials who attended the exhibit, Kommersant reported.

Upon his return from the trip, it said, Safronov told colleagues that he also had learned about Russia's plans to provide Syria with Iskander missiles, MiG-29 fighter jets and Pantsyr-S1 air defense systems.

The Iskander, a sophisticated surface-to-surface missile with a range of 280 kilometers (175 miles), would give Syria the capability to strike targets in Israel with very high precision. Israel has complained strongly about past sales of anti-tank missiles to Syria, saying that some of them landed in the hands of the militant group Hezbollah.

A spokeswoman for Rosoboronexport state arms trading monopoly refused to comment on Kommersant's report on the alleged weapons deals.




http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/26225/

[BlueLiteSpcl]

Always seems 'dangerous' to know too much about the 'wrong' kind of stuff.

And not just the stuff about Russia / USSR - also the USA.

Mortality rates were extremely high for those who were knowledgeable about the JFK assassination and more recently, the Clintons ('Arkancide' was the term some referred to).

Guess it's sometimes best to be a 'nobody' without knowledge of such 'stuff'.

[mutters]

Media Watchdog Urges Probe Into Russian Journalist's Death



Published: March 07, 2007 3:50 PM ET

VIENNA, Austria

A global media watchdog on Wednesday urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the death of a Russian journalist, whose newspaper said he was working on a report claiming Russia planned to sell sophisticated missiles to Syria and Iran.

Ivan Safronov, a military affairs writer for Russian daily Kommersant, died Friday after plunging from a stairwell window between the fourth and fifth stories of his apartment building.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute is "deeply concerned about Safronov's death and urges the authorities to undertake a thorough investigation of the case," Johann Fritz, the group's director, said in a statement.

"Journalists are killed in Russia every year due to their work, and the impunity which accompanies these deaths causes great concern," Fritz added.

Kommersant also reported that Safronov, 51, had recently told colleagues he was warned he would face a criminal investigation for possibly releasing state secrets if he reported allegations that Russia had struck a deal to supply Iskander missiles to Syria.

The Brussels-based International News Safety Institute released a report Tuesday, saying 88 journalists in Russia have died in the past decade. Russia was second only to Iraq, which had 138 deaths, making them the deadliest countries for the profession, according to the report.



http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/de...t_id=1003554840