1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: All eight episodes of The Die For are available now 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: to bitch absolutely free, but for ad free listening and 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: exclusive bonuses, subscribe to tendorfoot Plus at tenderfootplus dot com 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: or on Apple Podcasts. 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 2: Warning, the following episode contains explicit language and sexual themes. 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 3: Listener discretion is advised topping our Worldly today is a 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 3: tale that seems straight out of a spine novel. So audacious, 8 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 3: so horrific, it would have to be a work of fiction, 9 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 3: but it's all too true. 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 4: This is the tragic story of Alexander Livignanko. 11 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: Familiar ma Lietuinian because the olpe mi in Alexander here 12 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: buship Olkovnik. 13 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 5: In Russian, I have a named Alexander Litvinenko. I am 14 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 5: a former KGB FSB officer. My rank lieutenant colonel. My 15 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:07,279 Speaker 5: position deputy head of Section Top Secret Department of FSB. 16 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 4: Alexander Livinenko was a former FSB officer who is fighting 17 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 4: organized crime. He soon discovered a connection between high ranking 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 4: officers in the FSB and Russian criminal gangs. When he 19 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 4: began investigating this FSB corruption, he was blocked by Putin. Frustrated, 20 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 4: he soon became a whistleblower for the FSB's dirty tricks, 21 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 4: their organized crime activity, their secret assassinations, even their supposed 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 4: involvement in the terrorist apartment bombing it was used to 23 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 4: justify at the Second Chechen War. 24 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 3: The former Federal Security Service agent admits he's worried about 25 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 3: coming forward with the allegations and says he fears for 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 3: the life of his wife and child, but Litfonnanko says 27 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 3: he decided to come forward because quote, if these people 28 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 3: are not stopped, this lawlessness will flood the country. 29 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 4: Livignenko eventually fled Russia England. We shared his secrets work 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 4: to try and bring down Putin and start protection from 31 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 4: the British government. While there he connected with Russian historian 32 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 4: Yuri Felshtinsky and together they wrote the book Blowing Up 33 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 4: Russia Terror from Within. Delshtinsky recalls the last time he 34 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 4: saw Lefnienko in person. 35 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 2: So last time we met in London and there was 36 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: a memorial service for Annapolitkovsko, which was killed like a 37 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 2: week before, and they came slightly earlier. The door was 38 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,519 Speaker 2: still closed, and I saw Litwinianko from a distance. He 39 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 2: was running through me and yelling to me. Yuri I 40 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 2: just got British citizenship. Now they will not be able 41 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 2: to touch me. And so this was on certains of 42 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 2: October and on the first of November he was poisoned. 43 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 6: On the first of November, just after he become a 44 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 6: British citizen, he met two former colleagues from Russia's intelligence 45 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 6: wealth in a pine bar at the Millennium Hotel. Two 46 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 6: days later, he was admitted to his local hospital vomiting 47 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 6: and a great pain. 48 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 4: Here's Yuri Felshtinski again with something I never knew about 49 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 4: how these international poisoning missions work. 50 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: This is very important. You notice probably that every time 51 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 2: somebody is poisoned, it's usually like two people or even 52 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 2: more involved. And this has a reason the FSB still 53 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 2: does not trust those people whom they sent to kill, 54 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 2: because the chance that they would defect is very high. Now, 55 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 2: that's why you always send them in groups at least 56 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 2: two people, and they have to be together all the time. 57 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 2: They sleep in the in one room in the hotel, 58 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 2: so they really are not allowed to not to be 59 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 2: alone because one is control in the other. 60 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 4: There's one other safeguard that helped keep Litvinenko's assassins from 61 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 4: defecting independent in their mission. The fact that they used 62 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 4: radioactive polonium two ten, said to be one of the 63 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 4: most toxic substances on earth, to do the job. 64 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:25,280 Speaker 2: If they're operating with radio active poisoning, they then they 65 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 2: actually are not able to defect because the fs WE 66 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 2: will find them very quickly because they are already marked 67 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 2: with radiation. 68 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 4: A few days after Litvinenko, the FSB whistleblower, entered the 69 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 4: hospital for treatment, Valshtinski spoke with him and Livinenko was 70 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 4: feeling optimistic. 71 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 7: Now. 72 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,840 Speaker 2: I talked to him by fore several days, soon after 73 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 2: the first of November, and he told me that, look, 74 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 2: I was poisoned, but I survived, and then after the 75 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 2: first ten days his health deteriorated. 76 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 4: Ertoshtinsky, Lievinenko's co writor and friend, shares next explain something 77 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 4: that you talk about when covering these poisonings in the news, 78 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 4: how unbelievably horrible they are. 79 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 2: He was telling me that, you know, this was so 80 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 2: painful that if I have a choice, and Lutwinanko was 81 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 2: at one point in Russia are arrested by the government 82 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 2: and put in prison for almost a year, and he said, 83 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: you know, if you give me a choice to spend 84 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 2: another year in prison or to go through this poisoning. 85 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 2: I would rather spend another year in prison, that's how 86 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,359 Speaker 2: painful this was ban on twenty of Nowember. 87 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 8: He died in the late afternoon of Thursday, twenty third November. 88 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 8: The police confirmed with the Health Protection Agency that a 89 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 8: significant quantity of the radio activisor to polonium two, one, zero, 90 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 8: two and ten have been found in mister Vinenko's urine. 91 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 4: I asked Kalshtinsky after experiencing all this, what does he 92 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 4: think people don't know about Russian intelligence that they need 93 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 4: to know? 94 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:18,720 Speaker 2: What people do not really understand that we have the 95 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 2: largest special services structure in the world, with the largest 96 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 2: budget in the world, and enormous amount of people and 97 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 2: tre well, now we do not really know how many 98 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 2: people work for the FSB, And so. 99 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 4: We resume Aleiah's story as she's unknowingly about to begin 100 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 4: a similar journey with her colleague Sasha uncover corruption in 101 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 4: the FSB from within, an investigation that, as history clearly shows, 102 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 4: does not usually end well for the agents involved, and 103 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 4: this investigation would be no exception. 104 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 3: I had to kill you. 105 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 2: I'm really sorry I had to do it. That I 106 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 2: got on my duty thins away. I was old and 107 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 2: my god, I got to to you. I had to 108 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 2: kill you. 109 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 7: Bs is so much for. 110 00:07:54,520 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 4: Episode fourteen, Chapter thirty, gathering evidence. It was finally time. 111 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 7: Sasha brought me sleeping pills, which supposed to help me 112 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 7: to put Vladimir into long sleep, deep deep sleep. 113 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 4: Lee's mission was the slip sleeping pills into the dinner 114 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 4: of her target, Vladimir, leader of one of the most 115 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 4: dangerous gangs in the city. While he was knocked out. 116 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 4: She planned to photograph the documents in his office for 117 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 4: her colleagues in the FSKN, the Federal Drug Control Service 118 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 4: of Russia. 119 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 7: It was like a quiet evening. I cooked some dinner 120 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 7: and I gave him the pill in the glass of water. 121 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 7: Then we went upstairs and I was massaged when rubbing 122 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 7: his shoulders when he was like just laying on the side, 123 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 7: and I was telling him some kind of like bullshet 124 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 7: from the university about teachers. So it was like really slow. 125 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 7: There is a technique about a hypnosis. When you want 126 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 7: like your target to relax and fall asleep, you put 127 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,959 Speaker 7: your target into the trunds. So I did that and 128 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 7: Vladimir started to sleep, and I was laying looking at 129 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:27,679 Speaker 7: the ceiling, looking at myself and thinking how do I 130 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 7: do it? I was waiting till about like one am, 131 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 7: so it will be late late night, and very very slowly, 132 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 7: almost like a cat, and I walked out from the 133 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,839 Speaker 7: room into that office room. I took my camera and 134 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 7: I took the small flashlight, and I basically photographed all 135 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 7: these papers and I just saw like many numbers and 136 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,559 Speaker 7: some places and many many different names. And I opened 137 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 7: also notebook. I did like all the photos over there 138 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 7: with telephone numbers. So I photographed everything, and when I finished, 139 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 7: I just returned to bad and I hided my back 140 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,959 Speaker 7: with the camera like onderneath of the clothes which was 141 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 7: on the armchair. Early morning. 142 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 2: We woke up. 143 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 7: Vladimir felt good and he said, oh, I had such 144 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,719 Speaker 7: a good sleep. Finally, yeah, thanks to me. 145 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 4: The next morning, Aleah prepared to meet with her colleague 146 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 4: Sasha and hand over the camera, making sure to download 147 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 4: a copy of the files for herself first. They were 148 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 4: both new to intelligence work and given this mission by 149 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 4: their commander to fail, but inexperience often comes with enthusiasm, 150 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 4: and they were succeeding, perhaps too well. For their own safety. 151 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 7: I was in rush to only one thing, which I did. 152 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 7: I took the memory card, so I downloaded all the 153 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,199 Speaker 7: things in my computer. I installed it back to the camera, 154 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 7: and I passed the camera to Sasha. 155 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 4: Back at home, Lia sat down at her computer to 156 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,359 Speaker 4: examine the photograph she'd taken of the documents in Vladimir's office. 157 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 7: And what I've seen there blew my mind. I texted 158 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 7: Sasha and I said, I think I found out something 159 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 7: important which might be a big explanation in all this mess, 160 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 7: and maybe it gives us the light of what just 161 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 7: happened with this case. Let's meet at the same place tomorrow. 162 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 7: He said, yeah, let's do it. And he didn't come. 163 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 7: He didn't show up, and I was really worried. I 164 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,439 Speaker 7: didn't know exactly what to do. I called him, he 165 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 7: didn't pick up. I texted, he didn't reply. 166 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 4: When aliyahs Vladimir later that day, she tried to conceal 167 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 4: her worries about Sasha and what may have happened to him. 168 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 7: So Vladimir he asked me, like, I said, everything okay, 169 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:28,559 Speaker 7: And I said, like, no, everything is okay, And I 170 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 7: try not to be worried about Sasha, and that day 171 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:41,319 Speaker 7: I heard the conversation between Vladimir and his army friend 172 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:48,079 Speaker 7: and it was a big argument, and army friend was 173 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 7: saying to Vladimir, we've been losing many many drugs recently 174 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,679 Speaker 7: and this is not good. I'm responsible in front of 175 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 7: these people in Afghanistan and if something goes wrong, de 176 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:07,120 Speaker 7: will cut off my head, not yours. And Vladimir said 177 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,559 Speaker 7: it won't happen. I will protect you. Everything will be 178 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 7: all right. But the conversation finished on the note where 179 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 7: I understood that the army friend wasn't really satisfied. I 180 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 7: reached out Sasha again the next day and he came 181 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 7: to that place where I usually met and I was 182 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 7: like almost cremated him, like I'm like, what the hell 183 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 7: you didn't pick up the phone? You like freaked me out. 184 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 7: I thought something happened to you. And he said, the 185 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:45,079 Speaker 7: reason why I couldn't contact you is because for the 186 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 7: whole night and day I was spying on our commander. 187 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 7: And he'll be shocked to what I will tell you 188 00:13:54,679 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 7: right now. So in these documents which I photographed, there 189 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 7: was a few times written the name of our commander 190 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 7: and Sasha when he was spying on our commander. Our 191 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 7: commander had a meeting with Vladimir's friend. Then he said, 192 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 7: why our commander sent us to this drug operation and 193 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 7: we arrested people and we confiscated drugs, and yet now 194 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 7: he's speaking with this guy. I asked Sashall if he 195 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 7: has done any photos or anything like that. So apparently 196 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 7: he did, which is good. And also we had this 197 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 7: document stating that our commander was involved. So more or 198 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 7: less I had some evidences, some compromat, let's say, to 199 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 7: our commander, and I started to dig in more, and 200 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 7: eventually in my head I created a plan how to 201 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 7: save myself and Vladimir out of all this big mess. 202 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 4: Chapter thirty one, This sting. The next day, Eliah met 203 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 4: with her friend Anna, who is part of the gang's entourage, 204 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 4: to see if she knew anything more about what was 205 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 4: going on. 206 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 7: She said, the man with whom she was dating, he 207 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 7: said to her that the whole gang had started to 208 00:15:53,960 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 7: be divided, so slowly the army front wore bringing his 209 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 7: people together to create kind of a good confrontation towards 210 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 7: Vladimir's people. I felt sorrow because I started to realize 211 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 7: that there is something going on behind his back, and 212 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 7: he doesn't even know, you know, like I wanted to 213 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 7: kind of like protect him. 214 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 4: This is probably not standard practice for an undercover agent, 215 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 4: but this is what happens when he mix love and war. 216 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 4: As much as the state would like to turn people 217 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 4: into robots or at least sociopaths without empathy, they're still 218 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 4: human at the end of the day, and a human 219 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 4: connection usually wins over a work order. When a Liah 220 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 4: met with Vladimir next, she tried to find a way 221 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 4: to hint to him that his army friend, his second 222 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 4: in command, who has saved his life during the war, 223 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 4: might be plotting to betray him. 224 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 7: I tried to start the conversation and I asked him, like, 225 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 7: do you trust your friend? And he said, yeah, I 226 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 7: trust him. He saved my life. I owe him for that. 227 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 7: I understood that moment that it would be just almost 228 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 7: impossible to tell him anything. I thought, like, you know, 229 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 7: I will find a way how to make it write. 230 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 7: So next day we met with Sasha again and he 231 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 7: gave me some photos, like there were like a couple 232 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 7: photos of our commanders standing with this army friend, and 233 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 7: he told me, I am worried about my life he said, 234 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 7: I know too much now, and you do. And he said, 235 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 7: if something happens with me, promised that you will take 236 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 7: care of this information and you will make sure that 237 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:05,920 Speaker 7: he will get what he deserve. And that moment I 238 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 7: remembered about colnel because I remember that dinner when a 239 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 7: first time met my future commander, and I remembered them 240 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 7: sitting and drinking vodka and just having this kind of 241 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 7: look to each other, and something told me that all 242 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 7: of them involved in this thing, something like it's just 243 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 7: like a gut feeling, but yet without evidences, it's just 244 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 7: a thought. 245 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 4: Leah told Sasha about the colonel, her abuser at the 246 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 4: military academy and the commander's close friend, and asked if 247 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 4: it was possible to see if the colonel was involved 248 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 4: with the gang at all. Sasha replied that they should 249 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,479 Speaker 4: just keep taking down the trafficking network and watching everyone closely, 250 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 4: and eventually the truth would be revealed. 251 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 7: He said, like, let's see what would be the react 252 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 7: once we know, we will understand who is really involved 253 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 7: in there and who is not. 254 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 4: They decided to rate another one of the spots out 255 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 4: of Vladimir's map. They timed the operation to take place 256 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 4: during a celebration that the gang was planning for a 257 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 4: member's birthday. This way Eliah could watch everyone's responses. 258 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 7: Then Sasha can arrest them and we will see how 259 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 7: like other people in this chain, how will they respond. 260 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 7: So that day we organized everything. I remember even like 261 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 7: what I was worrying that day. 262 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:40,160 Speaker 4: That afternoon, Aliyah's colleague Sasha showed up with their team 263 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 4: as a suspected drug dealing operation, and as usual, sent 264 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 4: in an informant to buy drugs with marked money. Meanwhile, 265 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 4: Aliyah was with Vladimir at the gang member's birthday celebration. 266 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 7: So everybody was drinking for the house of the birthday person, 267 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 7: and suddenly the army guy stand up and he leaves. 268 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,959 Speaker 7: Somebody called him. I opened my back and I texted 269 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 7: Sasha that the army guy just left. Vladimir is here. 270 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 7: I'm just like I'm controlling the whole inform of situation. 271 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 7: I will text you what's going on. He texted me, 272 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 7: It's okay, we work on it. I will text you later. 273 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 7: And I never heard from him since that moment. So 274 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 7: I'm sitting there. Vladimir is like stressed. He receiving some calls. 275 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 7: He replies, but it's all kind of like yes no, yes, no, 276 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 7: and I couldn't understand what's going on. I'm just sitting 277 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 7: but I'm going to the toilet. Text Sasha, Hey, what's up? 278 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 7: Text me? And no answer. Came back again from the toilet, 279 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 7: sitting again with Vladimir. Everybody drinking and so on. I 280 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 7: couldn't eat a drink. I was just sitting there and 281 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 7: pretending that I'm okay and I'm smiling. Go to the toilet, 282 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 7: text Sasha, no messages, back, coming back again, sitting stressing 283 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 7: again and again and again and again, and I had 284 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 7: like this kind of feeling inside of me where you know, 285 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 7: something is like not good. We were driving home and 286 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 7: Vladimir was sitting with come was probably the same face 287 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 7: because like we didn't really talk. 288 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 2: I was just like. 289 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 7: Opening my bag and trying to see the telephone, my 290 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 7: small matarola if there are any message from Sasha, and 291 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 7: it wasn't. It was empty. You just drove back. When 292 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 7: we came to the city, Vladimir voiced like intense and 293 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,920 Speaker 7: I said, you know, like I don't feel good. I 294 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 7: wanted to just like lay down. Can you drop me home? 295 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 7: And He's like yeah, of course. Besides, I want to 296 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 7: check something too, So he dropped me home and I 297 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 7: didn't call to the commander obviously, and I didn't call 298 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 7: anyone apart from one person who was in our team. 299 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:45,159 Speaker 7: I texted him. He didn't reply. I called him. He 300 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 7: picked up the call and I said like, hey, hey, 301 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 7: it's me. What's going on? And I heard his voice 302 00:22:54,720 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 7: was almost like broken. His voice sounded like so far away, 303 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 7: And I asked him, do you know where it is? Sasha? 304 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 7: He said yes, said so what happened? Can you tell me? 305 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 7: He said, so, we sent our drug bait guy who 306 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 7: does all this transactions with the mark money, and when 307 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 7: we entered the house, we entered the main door, he 308 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:34,399 Speaker 7: said like there was like few Afghani men and they 309 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:43,160 Speaker 7: started to shoot, and Sasha was the first who entered 310 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 7: as the commander of the team, and he said he 311 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,879 Speaker 7: was the one who received the first bullet. And I 312 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 7: asked him, Sasha always worrying the bullet protection jacket. He 313 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 7: said yes, he does, and I said, so is he okay? 314 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 7: He said no, And I said, like where was the 315 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 7: bullet proof jacket? And he didn't reply to me, and 316 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 7: I said, like, where was the bullet proof jacket. I 317 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 7: was almost like screaming, and he said, he's in the 318 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 7: the mark. I said, what's going on with the commander? 319 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 7: What did he say? He said, like he was like 320 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 7: really pissed off, and he said that he's all going 321 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 7: to put us to jail because they did the whole 322 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:54,400 Speaker 7: operation without his permission. I standed there at the room 323 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 7: and I just couldn't. I couldn't do anything, and I, 324 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 7: you know, like this feeling where I started to hate, 325 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 7: like the strong like anger, the anger that he's just 326 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 7: not here anymore, and the guilt. 327 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 4: Leah felt that the commander or someone must have told 328 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 4: the drug dealers to expect a raid and to expect impunity, 329 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,879 Speaker 4: otherwise they would have had their guns out and started 330 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 4: firing immediately. 331 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 7: And I just hated I would commander so much. I 332 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 7: felt like he betrayed Sasha, He betrayed his own people 333 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 7: for his own good. It was a very dark, dark day. 334 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 7: I remember Sasha told me the last time I saw him, 335 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 7: if something happened to me, promise me that you will 336 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 7: get the justice and you will finish this case. And 337 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 7: I gave him this word. And I had almost like 338 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 7: every single evidences towards my commander. I had voters him 339 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 7: and the criminal leader, this army friend of Vladimir I 340 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 7: had handwritten name on the papers. And I was thinking, okay, 341 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 7: so if I will have all these documents and all 342 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 7: these evidences, whom do I go to prove it that 343 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 7: my commander is criminal? And there was like one main 344 00:26:55,280 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 7: commander who was the general of the whole state. The 345 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 7: next morning and a Monday, I called to the receptionist 346 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 7: of the general. I said to her, like, I have 347 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 7: some information about the case. I have some evidences. I 348 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 7: need to speak with the commander. And she said to me, oh, like, 349 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 7: you can pass me information, I'll give it to him. 350 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,919 Speaker 7: I said, like, no, I need to meet him in person. 351 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,719 Speaker 7: I cannot give this information to anyone apart from him. 352 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 7: She said, I will speak with him, and just basically, 353 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 7: like in a few minutes, she called me back. She 354 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,719 Speaker 7: said when can you come in? And said I can 355 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,440 Speaker 7: come in, like in thirty minutes. She said, he will 356 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:54,440 Speaker 7: be waiting for you. I got dressed, I put the 357 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 7: files into USB. I took the USB. I took these 358 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 7: photos which Ash gave me. I was just thinking, if 359 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 7: I can't really trust but I wanted just to understand 360 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,400 Speaker 7: if he knows anything or not, then if he's really 361 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:22,120 Speaker 7: involved or not. So I came into the main building, 362 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 7: beautiful with the big columns, and I walked through their 363 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 7: security check. I said, I have an appointment with the general. 364 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 7: They let me in. I went upstairs to the second floor. 365 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 7: I came to the reception and there was a woman 366 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 7: about forty five years old, and she was having this 367 00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 7: strict face. I called the military people do and she said, 368 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 7: he's waiting for you. 369 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 4: To die For continues in episode fifteen. 370 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 7: He told me that this is the end, this is 371 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 7: the last moment of your life. And when he told that, 372 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 7: he punched me from this side so hard that it 373 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 7: just crushed my bone. 374 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 4: To Die For is a production of Tenderfoot TV in 375 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 4: association with iHeart Podcasts. The show is hosted and written 376 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 4: by me Neil Strauss, with additional writing assistants by Tristan Bankston. 377 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 4: Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. For 378 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 4: iHeart Podcasts, executive producers are Matt Frederick and Alex Williams. 379 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 4: Lead producer and editor is Tristan Bankston. Additional editing by 380 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:16,240 Speaker 4: Miles Clark and Christian Brown. Supervising producer Tracy Kaplan. Consultants 381 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 4: include Nushin, Valiza day, Chelsea Gooden and Jamie Albright. Artwork 382 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 4: by Byron McCoy, original music by Makeup and Vanity Set, 383 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 4: mixed and mastered by Dayton Cole. Our theme song is 384 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 4: Killer Shangli Law by Psychotic Beats featuring Pattiamore. Special thanks 385 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 4: to Aren Rosenbaub and the team at Uta Beck Media 386 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 4: and Marketing Aarren Siegel, Becky Jensen, the Nord Group, Meredith Stedman, 387 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 4: Rose Baruch and alex Vespustad.