Christophe de margerie conspiracy websites
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The Russian Investigative Committee (SKR) has accused the snowplow driver of being drunk and is threatening further arrests. “true friends of Russia”), the Kremlin hopes to turn the present Ukraine-induced crisis into a major strategic victory by undermining the Transatlantic link between Europe and the United States, eroding EU sanctions and gaining de facto recognition of Moscow’s sphere of special interests in the Russian “near abroad,” which was, until 25 years ago, under Soviet dominion.
The jet hit an airport snowplow vehicle, flipped over and burst into flames, killing all on board: de Margerie and a crew of three. "The West cheat, again and again until their enemy is defeated." Adding: "A great businessman and commander of the economy was killed, perhaps because he did not want to sell oil for American dollars."
It is not only in Russia that suspicion of foul play has been aired.
On the Empty Wheel website, founded by civil liberties journalist Marcy Wheeler, poster Rayne argues that the evidence presented about the crash so far is contradictory, and scepticism about the view that the crash was accidental is warranted.
"Who or what benefited the most from de Margerie's untimely demise?" Rayne asks, and points not only to Total's involvement in Russia, but also in Iran where, prior to Western sanctions in 2009, the company helped to develop the South Pars gas field.
"My hinky meter is stuck somewhere between Suspicious and Disbelieving as to the real cause of the CEO's death."
Russia's pro-Kremlin daily Kommersant published a slew of articles, alleging Ukrainian involvement.
"The question remains why he was drunk, although previously did not drink because of health problems?"
"Think about it: if a man made an offer he can not refuse," writes Alexander Zhilin, hinting that the driver of the plough may have been bribed to have drunk at work, diverting attention from those who staged the crash.
Though perhaps not to be taken too seriously, the speculation is hardly surprising given what some have described as a "secret war" by the West and its oil-producing allies to damage Russian and Iranian economies through deflating oil prices.
"This is business, but it also has the feel of war by other means: oil," writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times.
The oil price lows have sparked fierce anti-western rhetoric in sections of the Russian media.
"Obama Wants Saudi Arabia to Destroy Russian Economy", proclaimed a recent Pravda headline.
The Moscow Times however, struck a more sensible note on the de Margerie death, pointing instead to Russia's appalling transport infrastructure, and the widespread corruption of those tasked with overseeing its safety as factors that could have contributed to the crash.
"Public safety is compromised because of negligence on the part of the authorities tasked with upholding it.
But until the attitude to state service, including public safety, is changed, Russian nightclubs, streets and landing strips will remain far more dangerous than they are supposed to be.
And let's not forget that one of Vnukovo's terminals — though not the one where the crash took place — serves President Vladimir Putin's own flights.
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According to a recent poll by independent pollster Levada Tsentr, a siege mentality dominates society: 84 percent believe Russia is surrounded by enemies, while only 8 percent agree with the opposite.De Margerie had been a staunch opponent of imposing sanctions to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea and involvement in fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. This cooperation depended on de Margerie and his influence in Paris. We are ready to continue to invest in Russia and bring in the best of our know-how. His sudden tragic death is seen as a severe, devastating blow.
For Russia’s rulers, de Margerie seemed the embodiment of an ideal European partner—or something more: A French aristocrat and major oil CEO, anti-American in inclination, his partnership helped give Putin a virtually free hand to squash internal dissent or deal with neighboring former Soviet republics like Ukraine.
Total CEO Christophe de Margerie's Death: Conspiracy Theories Swirl
The death of Total Oil CEO Christophe de Margerie on the icy runway of Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Monday night (20 October) is being treated as nothing more than a tragic accident by Russian authorities.
Investigators claimed that the oil executives private jet crashed into a snow plough, whose driver was drunk at the wheel, killing three people on board.
Moscow transport authorities also said they are investigating 'negligence' by airport authorities and have arrested four officials.
Yet the controversial magnate's demise, only hours after engaging in high-level talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to discuss foreign investment in Russia, has prompted a flurry of speculation online that his death was far from accidental.
The lawyer of Vladimir Martynenko, the plough driver, yesterday (21 October) described accusations that his client was drunk as "groundless" and implied that he was being set-up.
Most rumours allege Western or Ukrainian complicity in the crash.
They focus on de Margerie's opposition to anti-Russian Western sanctions, with Total, one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia, recently announcing plans to double its oil output from the country by 2020.
In July, de Margerie told Reuters that Europe should not be thinking about how to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, but instead be focussing on how to make those supplies safer.
"Russia is out partner," he said in a recent interview, and claimed that he believed that oil should not be paid for in dollars, but in euros.
On a YouTube video uploaded by Russian news site Newsanna, Vladimir Viktorovich Prokhvatilov, billed as a teacher at Moscow's military academy, speculates darkly about Western involvement, and sets the tone for much of the Russian conspiracy theories.
"This is to be expected," he said.
In another Moscow airport, Sheremetyevo, a man died in August from apparent cardiac arrest after an emergency rescue team took more than an hour to arrive.
In July, 24 people died in a metro train crash in Moscow, now tentatively blamed on a technical malfunction. According to Kommersant, de Margerie was an increasingly lone figure on the board of Total still pressing for closer cooperation with Russia despite sanctions, the Ukrainian crisis and the new cold war (Kommersant, October 23).
Pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda quotes oil expert Sergei Pravosudov: The Russian oil industry, hit by sanctions, badly needs cooperation with French Total to get access to Western know-how.
The SKR may have begun a major witch-hunt to seek out possible conspirators that have hit de Margerie and could be threatening Putin. We are against sanctions; we believe they are unjust and counterproductive. Russia has a legion of state agencies charged with enforcing meticulous and contradictory public safety regulations.
On October 23, the SKR announced the arrest of four more Vnukovo airport air traffic controllers and top employees (RIA Novosti, October 23).
In an official telegram to French President Francois Hollande, President Vladimir Putin expressed his deep condolences, called de Margerie a “true friend of Russia” and announced he was “shocked” by his death (kremlin.ru, October 21).
An influential figure in French business and political decision-making, de Margerie was ready to invest together with Kremlin insiders and transfer know-how in exchange for access to Russia’s natural riches. Russia has many friends and partners in the West; Russia cannot be isolated economically or politically (Vesti, October 21).
The control tower, run by the air traffic controllers who were arrested by the SKR, and the runway-cleaning service serve all Vnukovo air traffic. Some 79 percent believe the negative reaction by the West (the US and the EU) to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine is caused by a desire to “suppress Russia and undermine its world influence” (rbcdaily, October 21).
Surrounded by external enemies and their presumed internal agents, Russia is rallying around Putin, according to first deputy chief of the presidential administration, Vyacheslav Volodin.
That crash was mostly blamed on mistakes made by the crew, though the Polish side insisted that errors by Russian ground control also contributed to the tragedy.
But while the 2010 catastrophe was largely seen as extraordinary, the Vnukovo crash looks like the latest incident in a clear trend highlighting Russia's public service and infrastructure problems.
Russia has seen more than its fair share of high-profile incidents caused by public safety services simply not doing their job well enough.
This siege mentality is at an all-time high: 82 percent describe relations with the US as negative, while last January only 17 percent expressed the same opinion. “While there is Putin, there is Russia; without Putin, there will be no Russia,” declared Volodin (Izvestia, October 22).
Putin and all other Russian top officials use Vnukovo airport for air travel in and out of Moscow, using a separate government terminal—Vnukovo-2.