Stephen Lendman

The Times consistently violates its own journalistic standards and ethics, ones it’s sworn to uphold.

Saying its practices “must be beyond reproach” belies its consistent managed news misinformation and Big Lies.

Hard truths on issues mattering most, notably geopolitical ones, are systematically suppressed.

Editorial policy recklessly bashes Russia, notably Vladimir Putin with no just cause whatever, solely for political reasons, one-sidedly supporting Washington’s rogue imperial agenda, waging endless wars on humanity at home and abroad. On January 21, Times editors practically accused Putin of ordering former Russian Federal Security Service/KGB official Alexander Litvinenko’s November 2006 murder.

No credible evidence suggests it, dubious testimonies only, innuendo and hearsay, inadmissible in legitimate legal proceedings, part of longstanding, irresponsible Putin bashing.

Times editors continue proliferating the Big Lie, calling Putin “an autocrat willing to flirt with lawlessness in his global ventures.”

They gave unjustifiable credence to a UK public inquiry into Livinenko’s death, suggesting Russian state-sponsored murder, intimating Putin’s responsibility for approving it, adding:

British authorities “long…suspected Litvinenko’s killing by polonium-210 poisoning “to have been a state-sponsored operation by two Russian agents” - despite no hard facts backing up fabricated allegations and accusations.

On the one hand, Times editors practically endorsed inquiry head Robert Owen, saying evidence suggests Russia’s responsibility for Litvinenko’s death, probably approved by Putin.

On the other, it admitted no “direct evidence” links him or the Kremlin to the crime. Yet Times editors claim “little room to doubt that two agents were sent from Russia to visit Litvinenko and were carrying the fatal dose of polonium with them.”

It bears repeating. No credible evidence proves it, irresponsible Putin bashing only without just cause.

Times editors reprehensively, maliciously and wrongfully accused him of “buil(ding) a sordid record on justice and human rights” - claiming it “naturally reinforces suspicions” of his “involve(ment) in murder.”

Earlier, they falsely accused him of invading Ukraine, downing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, as well as perhaps involvement in the earlier killings of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and Boris Nemtsov.

Putin bashing propaganda continues relentlessly. A previous article said Nemtsov’s murder in central Moscow had all the earmarks of a CIA-staged false flag.

He was worth more dead than alive to Washington, wanting his death exploited for propaganda value.

Litvinenko likely had likeminded value year’s earlier. Did CIA and UK intelligence operatives kill him, using his death to blame Russia and bash Putin?

It’s one of the oldest, dirtiest games in the book - wrongfully blaming state-sponsored crimes on convenient adversaries, despite no credible evidence proving it.

A Final Comment

Litvinenko’s brother Maksim blames Britain for killing Axexander, calling it “ridiculous” to blame Russia, UK security services likely responsible.

“It’s all a setup to put pressure on the Russian government,” he said, an intent to “smear” Putin unjustly.

Rumors claiming Vitkinenko was an enemy of the state were fabricated. He told friends he planned on returning to Russia.

Allegations about him being a Russian or British spy for Moscow were false. Western media created the illusion for propaganda purposes.

His Russian Federal Security Service job involved “work(ing) against organized crime, murders, arms trafficking, stuff like that,” Maksim explained.

Moscow “had no reason to want (him) dead.” He thinks thallium may have killed him slowly, polonium “planted afterwards.”

Britain denied requests to have his body exhumed for independent forensic analysis, telling evidence of high-level coverup.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

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