This is a huge development in the ongoing saga of Ukraine's struggle towards democracy. What was the role of former KGB man Vladimir Putin and his allies in Ukraine's security apparatus?
Dioxin poisoning caused the mysterious illness of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, a doctor said Saturday, adding that the poison could have been put in his soup."There is no doubt about the fact that Mr. Yushchenko's disease has been caused by a case of poisoning by dioxin," said Dr. Michael Zimpfer, director of Vienna's private Rudolfinerhaus clinic.
Zimpfer said Yushchenko's blood and tissue registered concentrations of dioxin one of the most toxic chemicals that were 1,000 times above normal levels.
"It would be quite easy to administer this amount in a soup," Zimpfer said, adding that tests showed the dioxin was taken orally. "There is suspicion of third party involvement."
UPDATE: Gregory Djerejian makes a important point:
I hope this trail doesn't lead to Moscow. If Moscow played pool that dirty, even via proxies, a fundamental reappraisal of the U.S.-Russian bilateral relationship will be necessitated.
That's long overdue anyway, in my opinion. Putin has acted in profoundly anti-democratic ways for a long time. Our on-again, off-again alliance is based more on having a few mutual enemies (i.e., terrorists) than anything else, no matter what President Bush may have thought he saw in Putin's soul.
Hyscience has some interesting chemical details and calmly offers this useful reminder:
Although Dioxins are known to be common pollutants that are produced as the result of many types of industrial processes, it's unusual for someone to receive such a large dose since most commonly it is a low-level dosage that is received over a long period of time.
Indeed, "unusual" = deliberate.
UPDATE 2: A reader e-mails the omnisicient InstaPundit with a brutal insight:
If someone wanted him dead, they picked a very poor poison to do it. Dioxin is not fatal - in spite of all the eco-terrorist mutterings, there has never been a recorded death from dioxin.Posted by Alan at December 11, 2004 09:26 AMI work for Dow Chemical (please don't use my name or I might lose my job, since we can't comment on these types of issues without going through Public Relations), so I know a bit of what I speak. Dioxin is tremendously overhyped.
No, if someone had wanted Yushchenko dead, they would have used something with more efficacy. Probably lead, and high velocity. Dioxin is meant to inconvenience and terrorize, not kill. The only known, proven long-term effects are chloracne, which means he'll have the facial and body acne off and on for the rest of his life. He won't glow in the dark, and his kids won't be born with 2 heads. Just cosmetically disfiguring, physically uncomfortable and somewhat painful, and a constant reminder of his vulnerability. Probably what was intended all along.