1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: All eight episodes of The Die For are available now 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: to bench 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 --> 00:00:13,600 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 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 2: Listener discretion is advised. Can I ask you, when you 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 2: talk about Vladimir it's different than when you talk about 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 2: other targets in the past. 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 3: Absolutely, yeah, it was special. 10 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 2: And when I'm listening from my position, it sounds not 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 2: just like a target, but it sounds like there's a 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 2: romantic feeling when you're describing him. 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 3: No, I honestly I liked him. I liked his personality. 14 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 3: Whoever likes say to me about Vladimir that, oh he's 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 3: a killer, he's a or he's a criminal. But I've 16 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 3: seen by myself like how he he was so respectful 17 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 3: to other people, and like, just honest, he was justice. 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 2: I realized as Aleah is speaking that ever since she'd 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 2: been sent to Cheeshnya as punishment for rejecting her commander's advances, 20 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: she's constantly told me that she didn't want to live anymore. 21 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 2: But suddenly she stopped saying this. Now she seems to 22 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 2: want to live. The problem is that she's finally found 23 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 2: her happiness on the wrong side of the law. It 24 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 2: kind of sounds like to me like you were getting 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 2: lost in the Role. 26 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 4: You know, when I was sitting in the car with 27 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 4: all these guys, Vladimir in front, and all of them 28 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 4: they were armed, and they have a lot of cash 29 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 4: in their fogets, and then the black car with this 30 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 4: like crazy loud music, and I felt in the movie, 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 4: I live another life which I never had before, and 32 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 4: I never even knew that this life may possibly exist. 33 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 5: To kill you, I'm really sorry I had to do that. 34 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 5: I could on my juty away, how my God like 35 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 5: to like you. I had to treat you versus so 36 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 5: much for. 37 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 2: Episode thirteen, Chapter twenty eight, Lost. 38 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 3: In the Role, I stand up slowly so he wouldn't 39 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 3: wake up. I didn't go downstairs because I didn't know 40 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 3: exactly where these guys were steeping, but upstairs on the 41 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 3: second floor. 42 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 2: Well, Leah's mission was succeeding all too well. She was 43 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: now at the home of her target, Vladimir, who had 44 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: just fallen asleep. This gave her the opportunity to search 45 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 2: his home and discover any potential evidence that could take 46 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 2: down the drug trafficking and extortion gang that Vladimir was running. 47 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 2: It also gave her a very good opportunity to get caught. 48 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 3: I wanted to see what was there. One room was 49 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 3: just a bedroom. I quickly checked the warp and everything. 50 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 3: It was just empty bedroom. And I opened the door 51 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 3: of another room and I saw like so far and 52 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 3: a big wardrobe. Near to the wardrobe, they were like 53 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 3: huge black trash bags. So I walked and I slowly 54 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 3: opened it and I saw that it was full of cash, 55 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 3: lots of lots of money in these black thrash bags. 56 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 3: I've never seen anything like that. I was shocked. And 57 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 3: then I opened the wardrobe and I saw automatic Kalashnikoff 58 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 3: guns just like in the line. And I saw some 59 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 3: the ten guns as well, and I kind of like 60 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 3: even got jealous because it was expensive and the aim 61 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 3: is just perfect. It's a perfect gun. I walked outside 62 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 3: and I went to the door which was on the corner, 63 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 3: and I opened the door and it was kind of 64 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 3: like an office because it was a table. There a 65 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 3: big map on the wall, and I saw there was 66 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 3: like some little pins on the map of the city. 67 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 3: They saw a lot of papers on the table. 68 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 2: Worried that she'd been out of the bedroom too long, 69 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 2: I might get caught searching the house, Aliyah decided to 70 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 2: return to Vladimir's room. However, as she's about to walk inside, 71 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 2: Vladimir opened the door. 72 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 3: Vladimir just walked out of the bedroom and he said, like, 73 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 3: where have you been? Like I woke up and you 74 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 3: were not in the bedroom. I said, like, I'm so thirsty. 75 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 3: I don't know where to find water. He said, oh, 76 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 3: I'll bring you. Don't worry. Oh too bad, It's fine. 77 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 3: And I was thinking, oh my god, he almost caught me. 78 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 3: If he would walk around the house and see me 79 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 3: in that different like doors checking and everything, she could 80 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 3: kill me that moment. Straightway. I didn't sleep at all 81 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 3: all night. I was thinking about what I'm doing next 82 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 3: and what should I report exactly to my commander. 83 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 2: Leah had discovered no doubt, much to her relief, that 84 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 2: there was some evidentiary benefit to spending more time in 85 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 2: Vladimir's home. In order to help ensure that she'd be 86 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 2: invited back. That morning, she tried one last seduction gambit. 87 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 2: In her bag, she had a small vial of a 88 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 2: perfume that she'd learned to formulate in her seduction training. 89 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 3: I sprayed on the pillow, so every time he would 90 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 3: go to his and sleep there, he will remember me, 91 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 3: like remember my smell. And I said to him, well, 92 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 3: I have to go home because I have to study 93 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 3: and my lesson starts very soon. And I woke outside 94 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 3: and then his security drove me home. I came back 95 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 3: home and I called to Sasha. I just said that Lisa, 96 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,679 Speaker 3: we need to meet and I will explain you everything 97 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 3: in person. 98 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 2: Later that day, Eliah left her apartment in case she 99 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 2: was being followed. She walked to the university campus, where 100 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 2: she claimed to be studying. There, she waited for her 101 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 2: colleague in the FSKN, Sasha, to arrive. They met at 102 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 2: a table in the student common area and she filled 103 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 2: them in on our progress the night before. 104 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 3: I told him everything, and he said, if he would 105 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 3: call to you like in the night, do you understand 106 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 3: what he would do to you. I said, like, I know, 107 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 3: and he's like, please be careful, don't do this again. 108 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 3: He listened. For now, just try to be close to 109 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 3: him as you can. Listen to his conversations, listen to 110 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 3: his telephone calls, and he said that you should start 111 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 3: to bring more information about next places of hearing supplies. 112 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 3: I said, okay, I'll do my best, but just in 113 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 3: the beginning, give me some time. And I went back 114 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 3: through the university and then I returned to my house, 115 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 3: so just in case, I tried to make it look 116 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 3: like I was really student there. 117 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 2: That night, round ten, she received a text from Vladimir. 118 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 3: He said to me, how are you beautiful? I'm thinking 119 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 3: about you. Well, I knew that he was thinking about me, 120 00:08:58,640 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 3: because the smell was there. 121 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 2: He invited her out that night, but she said she 122 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 2: needed to stay home and get her homework done. 123 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 3: So I thought it's good that I didn't come straight 124 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 3: away the minute he called me, because in this case, 125 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 3: I show him that I'm not so desperate about our 126 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 3: communication and so needy. 127 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 2: A few days later, her colleague Sasha called. He said 128 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 2: that the team had decided that she should try to 129 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: get photos of the map and paper she'd seen. 130 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 3: The next morning, he brought me a small, little tiny 131 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 3: camera which I could put to my purse, and he 132 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 3: brought me a wire as well. The wire which you 133 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 3: basically put into the room and you can hear it 134 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 3: on the distance, and I had to put this device 135 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 3: somewhere where people would hang out the most. So I 136 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 3: thought that it would be better to put this device 137 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 3: into the dining kitchen area rather than to his office. 138 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 2: Elia's plan was to cook dinner for Vladimir and his 139 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,319 Speaker 2: friends as a way to get some alone time in 140 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 2: the kitchen and plant the bug. 141 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 3: First of all, they say, if you want to your 142 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,839 Speaker 3: men fall in love, you need to cook for him. 143 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 3: And I got some potatoes, some tomatoes, I got some meat. 144 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 3: Then the driver came and I brought the back with 145 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:38,839 Speaker 3: the food with me, and they were finishing some conversations 146 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:43,079 Speaker 3: while I was cooking. So I searched the kitchen very well. 147 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 3: I only found a good place, which was underneath the vase. 148 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 3: There was no flowers or something, but there were like 149 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 3: some kind of like decoration. So I put this device 150 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 3: inside in the vase, is like in the very bottom, 151 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 3: and then I put back this decoration. And then the 152 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 3: next task was to photograph all the important papers in 153 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 3: his office. I served the table and I call everybody 154 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 3: and said, like the food is served, And while they 155 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 3: were eating, I was standing and just like looking at 156 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 3: them and thinking, okay, So if they eat it, so 157 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,840 Speaker 3: they trust me that I wouldn't poison them. 158 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 2: After dinner, Vladimir took Alia upstairs. On the way, she 159 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 2: asked for a tour of the house, so. 160 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 3: He opened every door and he showed me, oh, this 161 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 3: is like the bedroom. He even showed me the room 162 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,839 Speaker 3: where I saw there's like bags of cash, but they 163 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 3: were not there anymore. And then he said, like, this 164 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 3: is my office. He didn't open it, and I said, like, 165 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:04,679 Speaker 3: I would love to see the place where you work 166 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 3: and I would love to learn more about you. He 167 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 3: opened the door and then I said like, oh, that's 168 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 3: why the whole magic happens. 169 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 6: And I. 170 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 3: Said, oh, wow, this table is so solid. Do you 171 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 3: think it can handle us? Boss? He's like, what do 172 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 3: you mean? And I started to kiss him, and then 173 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 3: I went into the position where he can take me 174 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 3: from behind, where I was leaning at the table. So 175 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 3: in this case, I could see the map and I 176 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 3: could see exactly where it was, and it wasn't too dark, 177 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 3: so I could read numbers, streets, names on the papers. 178 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 3: And when he was taking me from behind, I was 179 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 3: looking at the table and like just trying to read these, 180 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 3: like you know, names on it and what exactly was there? 181 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 3: I couldn't remember everything, but I remembered some names. 182 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:25,200 Speaker 2: The next morning, Vladimir's driver brought Alia home. Shortly afterward, 183 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 2: she walked to the university in case she was being 184 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 2: watched and waited for a colleague, Sasha to arrive. 185 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 3: He said, since you installed the microphone like the bag, 186 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 3: let's just see what will happen, and then we'll give 187 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,679 Speaker 3: you more like details. And he asked me for pictures, 188 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 3: which I didn't do, and I told him, like listen, 189 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 3: I didn't do it because it was not possible that time, 190 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 3: but I'll do it later, but for now, I gave 191 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 3: him names, and I gave him addresses. 192 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 2: And this team researched this information and got back to 193 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 2: Aliyah with the news. These properties were in the exact 194 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 2: same area that Alah had seen on her first horrible 195 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 2: mission with the FSKN. 196 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,679 Speaker 3: He checked the streets and these buildings. He said, it's 197 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 3: exactly where they were like having our operation exactly in 198 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 3: some houses there we saw all this overdose young kids 199 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 3: and teenagers. And there were the places where were sex, slavery, 200 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 3: prostitution basically where also they sold some hearings at Vladimir's map, 201 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 3: there were like three pins in that area. 202 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 2: I asked Aleah how she felt knowing that the target 203 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 2: she was developing feelings for was complicit and the horrible 204 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 2: thing she'd seen, even if he was just taking protection 205 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 2: money from the traffickers. 206 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 3: I knew that he was my target, and I knew 207 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 3: I was doing this for my job, my mission, my country, 208 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 3: for those kids who were killed and overdoors and kidnapped 209 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 3: for human trafficking. I knew all that. I just wanted 210 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 3: to I wanted to succeed in my mission, but at 211 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 3: the same time, I just wanted to understand is he 212 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 3: really so much deeply involved in that? 213 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 2: Sasha told Leah that if she wanted answers and to 214 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 2: complete her mission, it was important to get the photos 215 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 2: he'd ask for of all the documents in Vladimir's office. 216 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 2: When Alee explained that she was worried that Vladimir would 217 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 2: wake up and find her there, Sasha came up with 218 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 2: this solution. 219 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 3: He said, why don't you do it while he'll be 220 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 3: sleeping like really really deep. When I said to him, like, so, Howe, 221 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 3: I'm supposed to do it? And he said, like, just 222 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 3: give him, just give him some sleeping pills, and I 223 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 3: was like, Okay, which one? He said, like, I'll next time, 224 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 3: I'll give you some good sleeping pills. It just like 225 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:28,640 Speaker 3: kills you for like ten hours straight. 226 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 2: Chapter twenty nine, two Friends, What. 227 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 7: City do you live in? 228 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 2: I'm in now a Los Angeles. 229 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 7: If I didn't like you and I found you in 230 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 7: Los Angeles and stabbed you on the sidewalk, I would 231 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 7: immediately have heed on me. 232 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 2: I'm speaking with Matt Tipton, an Army ranger, veteran, and 233 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 2: internal medicine doctor trained in chemical and radiological weapons response. 234 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 2: I'll explain why in a second, but first let's listen 235 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 2: a little more. 236 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 7: In minutes, somebody's going to find you and they're going 237 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 7: to see that you've been stabbed, and they're going to 238 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 7: do what's called a geo fence, and they're going to 239 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 7: look at what cell phones were in that little area 240 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 7: at the time. So they're going to nail me. But 241 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,439 Speaker 7: if you have a drunken interaction when the guy outside 242 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 7: a bar and he shoves you or coughs on you, 243 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 7: or smears something on yourly cross, that guy's hand was 244 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 7: wet and you don't think anything of it, and then 245 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 7: you don't feel sick for forty eight hours, and you 246 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 7: don't get really sick for seventy two more hours. After that, 247 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 7: you're not going to meet you say, hey, I bet 248 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,879 Speaker 7: that strange guy that bumped into me outside the restaurant 249 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 7: poisoned me. So it's a way for the spy to 250 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 7: get into the country. Do that, and then they go 251 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 7: to the airport, you know, decon themselves, take an antidote, 252 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 7: if there's one needed. 253 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 2: Aliyah has talked often about poisons, about sleeping pills, and 254 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 2: about so called truth serums, So I decided to speak 255 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 2: to a few experts to get a better understanding of 256 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,199 Speaker 2: one of the most sinister aspects of Russian intelligence is 257 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,200 Speaker 2: deadly use of chemical compounds to silence its enemies around 258 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 2: the world. Why does this seem to be such a 259 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 2: common Russian state security tactic that it's in the news 260 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 2: all the time. 261 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 7: Poison sends a message, and it gives you a way 262 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 7: to put more time between you and the victim before 263 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 7: there's a body involved. It's a cheap way to do it, 264 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 7: and it's also terrifying. If you're actively speaking out against 265 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,359 Speaker 7: Putin and you start to get a tummy ache, you're like, 266 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 7: is this, it am I dying. It's a psychological warfare 267 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 7: aspect to it, and it's cheaper than a predator drone 268 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:37,920 Speaker 7: with a satellite guided missile. 269 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 2: As an example of the intimidating psychological effect that Matt 270 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 2: Tipton is talking about, this is journalist Amy Knight, author 271 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 2: of several books critical of the Putin regime, most recently 272 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 2: The Kremlin's Noose. 273 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 8: In the early two thousands, I wrote for the Globe 274 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 8: and Mail fairly regularly, and I was terribly, terribly critical 275 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 8: of mister Putin. And at some point Russian embassy phoned 276 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 8: up the Globe and Mail and said that they were 277 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 8: going to kick their journalist who was in Moscow out 278 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 8: of the country, and they were going to do all 279 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 8: sorts of repercussions if Amy Knight didn't stop writing about Putin. 280 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 2: Amy Knight was eventually banned from entering Russia. But before that, 281 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,120 Speaker 2: while she was in Moscow, something strange happened to her 282 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 2: that she still wonders about. 283 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 8: I was writing about Boris Nimpsov. I spoke with him. 284 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: Russian politician Boris Nimptsov, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, 285 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: is shot dead on a bridge in the shadow of 286 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: the Kremlin. 287 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 8: Second last day that I was there, I had lunch 288 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 8: with my research assistant who was Russian at the hotel, 289 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 8: and about three hours later I got so violently ill 290 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 8: that I just couldn't do anything, just you know, ter 291 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 8: stomach issues. And I was able to get myself on 292 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 8: the plane a couple days later, but that stomach thing 293 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 8: took a long time to go away, and they couldn't 294 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 8: figure out why I had this terrible stomach thing. And 295 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 8: I was thinking to myself that, you know, it unlikely 296 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 8: that it was like standard food poisoning in a very 297 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 8: upmarket hotel like the Marriotte with lots of foreign tourists. 298 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 8: And after that, I wondered whether somebody had slipped something 299 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 8: into my food, not to kill me, but to warn me. 300 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 2: So poisoning doesn't just work for eliminating a specific political target. 301 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 2: It also creates fear and uncertainty in every other enemy 302 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 2: and potential enemy. 303 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 8: I haven't really mentioned that in any of my writings 304 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 8: because it's speculative, and you know, it could have just 305 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 8: been bad luck, but I do wonder. 306 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 2: Poisons, of course, have been used throughout history for political ends, 307 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 2: taking down kings, emperors, religious leaders and philosophers. But why, 308 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 2: I asked journalist Samy Knight, does Russia seem to employ 309 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 2: this method more than any other country in modern times? 310 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 8: In Russia, this seems to be the method of choice 311 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 8: if you want to assassinate someone, either within the country 312 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 8: or abroad. The Russian started way back when in the 313 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:40,640 Speaker 8: Soviet period what they called a secret poison lab. They 314 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 8: have a technical expertise that has continued and been passed on. 315 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 8: And the original poison lab was set up under Stalin's 316 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 8: secret police, and it continued on through the KGB, and 317 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 8: now of course there are secret laboratories that belong to 318 00:21:59,280 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 8: the FSB. 319 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 9: The poisoning of Russian disson and Alexi Navolney has taken 320 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:08,119 Speaker 9: an even more bizarre term. A Russian agent sent to 321 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 9: tail opposition in a leader Navolney, has accidentally revealed how 322 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 9: he was poisoned. In August. The agent, a member of 323 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 9: an elite tocsins team in Russia's FSB security service, said 324 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 9: the lethal nerve agent Novachak, was planted in Avalney's underwear. 325 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 9: You're that right underwear. 326 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 2: One of the experts who's perhaps been the closest to 327 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 2: an actual poisoning is doctor Yuri Thalshtinsky. We'll get into 328 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 2: that exact story in the next episode, but for now 329 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 2: I called doctor Falshtinsky, a leading Russian historian and author 330 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 2: to better understand why literally part of the core curriculum 331 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,359 Speaker 2: for an FSB agent is learning the use and concealment 332 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 2: of poisons. 333 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 6: Now, drugs, of course have a great advantage now one 334 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,679 Speaker 6: and this is extremely important. It gives you time to escape. 335 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 6: And for example, with take recent poisoning some case of 336 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 6: Lithuanianka who was poisoned and in case of Scripwall who 337 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 6: was poisoned. 338 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 2: Both of these are former FSB agents who were poisoned 339 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 2: in England for betraying Putin. One survived along with his 340 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 2: daughter who was also poisoned. The other didn't. 341 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 6: Those people who poisoned him had time to escape back 342 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 6: to Russia, while for example, mister Krasikov, who killed a 343 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 6: Chichen military leader in Berlin in the middle of the 344 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:38,359 Speaker 6: day using gun, was arrested. Or those people who killed 345 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:43,199 Speaker 6: former President of the Chechen Republic William han Jin Darbiev 346 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 6: in Katar using bomb. They successfully killed him, but they 347 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 6: were arrested. So you see this is the advantage when 348 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 6: you poison a person. But number two, it is not 349 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,639 Speaker 6: always known that the person is poisoned. Know some of 350 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 6: course in some cases, but in some other cases who knows. 351 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 6: Maybe we even do not know why is a person 352 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 6: was found dead. And there are some questionable death in 353 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 6: London as well, where we still do not know why 354 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 6: the person actually left his life and was found dead. 355 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:23,360 Speaker 6: So this is the advantage. That's why they using it successfully. 356 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,159 Speaker 2: Considering all these poisonings. Not to mention shootings and bombings, 357 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 2: and we didn't even mention the Putin critic who fell 358 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 2: to his death out of a hotel window. I tell 359 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:37,479 Speaker 2: doctor Falshtinsky that this is a lot of assassinations. His answer, 360 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 2: to my surprise, is to explain to me that it's 361 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 2: the law the. 362 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 6: Russian parliament was the law which allowed Russian special services 363 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,159 Speaker 6: to kiel anymess of the state abroad. 364 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,119 Speaker 2: I asked doctor Falshtinsky how the Russian government determines whether 365 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 2: someone should be assassinated without a trial or arrested and 366 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 2: put on trial. And here's his answer. 367 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,199 Speaker 6: They kill, I have to say in three cases. The 368 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 6: first case is when the person commits treason. From the 369 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 6: point of view of the government, and this is the 370 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 6: case of both Lithuanianka and Scripal. For example, the same 371 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 6: was true about that a helicopter pilot who was recently 372 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 6: killed in Spain. Prior to this, he defected to Ukraine 373 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 6: with his helicopter. Case number two, when people are competing 374 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 6: for power against putting, and in these cases they kill preventively, 375 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 6: and this is an order. For example, Boris niaimself, who 376 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 6: was killed righted the walls of Kremlin, and the same 377 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 6: is true of course about Alexei Navalni, who was killed 378 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 6: because he was competing for presidential power. And the third case, 379 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 6: I think when it's connected to big money, then we're 380 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 6: probably going back to the mafia aspect of political life 381 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 6: in Russia. But yes, when the mournia is involved, we 382 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 6: see usually some killings. 383 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 2: Clearly, Russian intelligence is a deadly world that operates by 384 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 2: its own rules, which sound a lot closer to the 385 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 2: code of the Vori, the mafia than that of an 386 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 2: elected government. Even Aliyah, who was working on what she 387 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 2: felt was the right side of the law, had already 388 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,959 Speaker 2: been involved in a possible poisoning. We'll go deeper into 389 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:43,119 Speaker 2: Russia's poison factory next episode. But for now, let's return 390 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 2: to Alia's experiences with these chemical agents. Aliyah had just 391 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 2: been asked to administer sleeping pills to her target. Vladimir 392 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 2: read to the mission, but first ask for more time 393 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 2: to build trust with Vladimir and his gang before taking 394 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 2: the risk and potentially blowing the operation. After all, the 395 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,200 Speaker 2: FSB agency poisoned boll Me has supposedly been following him 396 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 2: for years. 397 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 3: I said to Sasha, I said, I need more time 398 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,679 Speaker 3: to just like literally become his right hand, and I 399 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 3: would need like at least a months to do that. 400 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 3: He said, like, well, you have time as long as 401 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 3: you give us places of the distribution. There is like 402 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,919 Speaker 3: one technique which agents use sometimes when they try to 403 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:43,120 Speaker 3: infiltrate like you know, big circles. The technic calls like shadow. 404 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 3: So in this technique you had to be really invisible 405 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 3: for everyone. But if like Vladimir needs something, I'm there, 406 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 3: always ready to do what he wants. So I had 407 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 3: to make myself to be like a shadow of Vladimir, 408 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 3: so everybody would start to feel that. Okay. So whereas Vlaiemir, 409 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 3: there's his girl. 410 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 2: But as a Liah spent more time with Vladimir and 411 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,359 Speaker 2: as fellow gang members. There was one person she couldn't 412 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 2: win over, Vladimir's old friend, the gangster who was always 413 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 2: looking at her in the club with cold, dispassionate eyes. 414 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 3: Even I knew some techniques and allp techniques and everything, 415 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 3: for me, it was super difficult to establish connection with him. 416 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,879 Speaker 3: I just couldn't and he was always remaining silence, and 417 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:37,120 Speaker 3: he always gave me this very kind of like disgusting feeling. 418 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 3: And then through the conversation I understood that he was 419 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 3: the one who was controlling the whole distribution all these 420 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 3: tones of heroines coming from Afghanistan to Russia. That time. 421 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,080 Speaker 2: As the weeks passed and Aliyah and Vladimir began to 422 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 2: go on proper dates and even take short trips together, 423 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 2: he began to trust her and open up more. Eventually 424 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 2: Aliyah was able to find out more about this silent, 425 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 2: ominous friend. 426 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 3: Eventually, slowly, slowly, but he opened up and he told 427 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,880 Speaker 3: me his story. So he was sent to Afghanistan war, 428 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 3: and it was a moment where he met this guy 429 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 3: with sharp eyes, this cold guy, and apparently they were 430 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 3: in the same troop and that's how they met, and 431 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 3: he said to me that I trust him so much 432 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 3: because he literally saved my life. 433 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,479 Speaker 2: After leaving the army, Vladimir's friend became part of an 434 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 2: operation smuggling heroin from Afghanistan to Russia on military airplanes. Meanwhile, 435 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 2: Vladimir joined the police, where like Aaliyah, he was disappointed 436 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 2: to find extensive corruption and very few financial opportunities for 437 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 2: a low ranking officer. Soon he found better opportunities on 438 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 2: the other side of the law. 439 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:11,520 Speaker 3: So when Vladimir started to go to the gym and 440 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 3: he met some of criminal members of the gang at 441 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 3: that time, and then eventually Vladimir just basically was recruited 442 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 3: into the same gang. He said that I wanted to 443 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 3: help my mom, she was sick. My father was like, 444 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 3: you know, just drinking every day. And he started from 445 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,800 Speaker 3: the very low position, kind of like a soldier in 446 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 3: the gang, but he gained a lot of respect from 447 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 3: others and eventually he was actually crowned to becoming a 448 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 3: boss of others. Then his army friend approached him again 449 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 3: and he said, listen, I have one business which your 450 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 3: criminal gang would be happy to collaborate. And that's how 451 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 3: he brought the hearing supplies from Afghanistan to the gang. 452 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 2: As she spoke with Vladimir about this, Eliah struggled to 453 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 2: reconcile the seemingly kind, charismatic man she was developing feelings 454 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,280 Speaker 2: for with a drug trafficking gang leader she was there 455 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 2: to bring down. 456 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 5: I was. 457 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 3: Laying and bad and I looked into his eyes and 458 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 3: I asked him. I said, like, do you really know 459 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 3: what's happening, you know, with these trucks? And he's like, like, 460 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 3: what do you mean? And I said, like, did you 461 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 3: know that so many young people dying because of like 462 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 3: bad quality of trucks. He said, well, I don't know 463 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:07,240 Speaker 3: anything about it, but I'm not responsible for this part 464 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 3: because my army friend, he is controlling the whole thing. 465 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 3: Like I'm more focusing on businesses like factories and more 466 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 3: like government businesses in. 467 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 2: Other words, probably protection, money, bribery, money laundering, and who 468 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 2: knows what else. 469 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 3: And when I said, like, why don't you just check 470 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 3: it out and just know it yourself, I wanted just 471 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 3: him to understand that one of the businesses which he 472 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 3: was doing it was just like killing other young innocent 473 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 3: people who were really just children. 474 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,720 Speaker 2: Vladimir totally that he actually wanted the gang to get 475 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 2: into more legitimate businesses anyway where people maybe lived a 476 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 2: little longer and easier. 477 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 3: And because of that they had some kind of like 478 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 3: arguments with the army friend. He felt that it's becoming 479 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:10,959 Speaker 3: too risky. 480 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, Leah continued delivering information to her colleague Sasha until 481 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 2: he told her they were ready to make a move 482 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 2: and raid some of the addresses that Aliah had given him. 483 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 2: When the operation happened, Sasha asked Aliyah to stay close 484 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 2: to Vladimir, so she made up an excuse to go 485 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 2: shoe shopping with. 486 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:35,600 Speaker 3: Him, and only when he sat into the car, he 487 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 3: noticed that he has so many missed calls from his 488 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 3: army friend, and he called him back and he said, look, 489 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:53,120 Speaker 3: like what's going on? And I heard that hiss an 490 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 3: army friend who never really gave any emotions that moment. 491 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:02,719 Speaker 3: I heard him screaming or something about like where the 492 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:07,520 Speaker 3: hell were you? I couldn't reach you, like the hell 493 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:13,399 Speaker 3: you're doing. And Vladimir was like upset, but I think 494 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,360 Speaker 3: like he was more upset because of his partner screaming. 495 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 3: And he said to me, sweetheart, I have to deal 496 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 3: with something right now. Let's go to the club a 497 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 3: little bit later, okay, and he dropped me home and 498 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 3: I texted Sasha. I said, like, I said everything okay, 499 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 3: He's like, yeah, you did a great job. I will 500 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 3: give you only permission when I will see you in person. 501 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 2: As a Leah tells a story, I asked her if 502 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 2: it seemed too risky to bust Vladimir's drug operation while 503 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,239 Speaker 2: she was still undercovering the gang and also relatively new there. 504 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 2: Was it sloppy at all for them to act on 505 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,360 Speaker 2: the information that's accessible in the house while you're still 506 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:07,920 Speaker 2: maybe in the relationship and be while this is happening, 507 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:09,800 Speaker 2: for you to do something that breaks your normal pattern 508 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:12,400 Speaker 2: of what you do with him. Was he risking the 509 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,840 Speaker 2: asset at all? The asset being you me? 510 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, nobody cares about Okay. I did explain this in 511 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 3: the beginning, but like you can fail and you can 512 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 3: be killed, but nobody really cares because the whole mission 513 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 3: is the most important. As a human being, you're nothing, 514 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 3: and Sasha was just a good professional agent, even risking 515 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 3: my life. 516 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 2: At our next meeting with Sasha, Leah asked him how 517 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 2: the operation went. 518 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 3: He said, like it was one of the big places, 519 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 3: which was distributing drugs. So I wrote the report to 520 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,360 Speaker 3: a commander the want to read it. I'm like, wherever 521 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 3: I trust you. So he's like, okay, so just behave 522 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,799 Speaker 3: as normal and do everything you do just like in 523 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:04,800 Speaker 3: the same way. Just nothing happened. 524 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,760 Speaker 2: So Leah continued to get closer to Vladimir, planning specific 525 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 2: kinds of dates to the movies and the beach. 526 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 3: I wanted to bring him to that memories, to that 527 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 3: period of his life where he was happy boy, without 528 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:26,560 Speaker 3: knowing that it will be Afghani war or him becoming 529 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:32,319 Speaker 3: criminal gang leader. That's how I established that trust. 530 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 2: However, it's hard to tell. Sometimes Leah speaks who was 531 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:42,080 Speaker 2: seducing who. It's also interesting to think that this was 532 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:46,320 Speaker 2: her first relationship with someone she actually liked. She shares 533 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 2: many memories of this time, including a trip to the countryside. 534 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:56,360 Speaker 3: He said, this is my lent, this is my mother land. 535 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:01,800 Speaker 3: I was born here, I will die here. I belong here, 536 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:07,719 Speaker 3: and it's very sad what's happening right now in my country, 537 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:13,480 Speaker 3: and I want to do right, you know. And I 538 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 3: looked at him. I thought, like, you know, he speaks 539 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:20,120 Speaker 3: exactly like my dad. But he was exactly on the 540 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 3: opposite side from my father. 541 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 2: Aliah would soon find out that maybe these two worlds, 542 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,399 Speaker 2: the military and the mafia, weren't so different after all. 543 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 3: I might Sasha on Monday, and he was completely lost. 544 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:46,680 Speaker 3: He said, So I came to the department and I 545 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:51,480 Speaker 3: found out that instead of these like four killers of 546 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:56,800 Speaker 3: the heroine, they're only like just a few grums left. 547 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 3: So apparently the whole report which Sasha provided to have 548 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 3: a commander was changed by him, and the whole report 549 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 3: was giving to the upscale commander that Sasha's group only 550 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 3: confiscated just a few grumps. 551 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:23,400 Speaker 2: Of hearing, Sasha went down to tell Alia that he 552 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,760 Speaker 2: just checked the evidence locker and almost all the heroine 553 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 2: was gone, just a small bag remained. 554 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:40,359 Speaker 3: And I was like having this kind of like you know, 555 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:45,440 Speaker 3: like when your brain basically stuck and you just cannot 556 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 3: accept the information. And after a couple of minutes, to said, 557 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 3: do you think that he actually reported instead of like 558 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 3: four killos, just a few grums because he basically took 559 00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:03,239 Speaker 3: this heroine for himself. Asha said, well, I just don't 560 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 3: understand what to do, and you know, like do you 561 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 3: think we should we should spy on our commander. I said, well, 562 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 3: if you can't do it, do it from your side, 563 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 3: because I'll do from my side what I can do 564 00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 3: with Vladimir. Then just it will be between us. And 565 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:31,359 Speaker 3: I left with this kind of like understanding that it's 566 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:35,440 Speaker 3: something shady. There's the whole big thing going on just 567 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:43,360 Speaker 3: behind our eyes which we don't know. And I couldn't 568 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 3: obviously speak and ask Vladimir even though I really wanted, 569 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 3: But I decided that that night I really need to 570 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 3: put him to sleep to find out what the hell 571 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:52,680 Speaker 3: is in these papers. 572 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 2: Elia's story continues in episode fourteen. 573 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:12,120 Speaker 3: Sasha was the first who entered as the commander of 574 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:16,080 Speaker 3: the team. He was the one who received the first bullet. 575 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 2: To Die For is a production of Tenderfoot TV in 576 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,480 Speaker 2: association with iHeart Podcasts. The show was hosted and written 577 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:45,640 Speaker 2: by me Neil Straus, with additional writing assistants by Tristan Bankston. 578 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:50,719 Speaker 2: Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. For 579 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:54,920 Speaker 2: iHeart Podcasts, executive producers are Matt Frederick and Alex Williams. 580 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:59,399 Speaker 2: Lead producer and editor is Tristan Bankston. Additional editing by 581 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:05,239 Speaker 2: Miles Clark and Christian Brown, supervising producer Tracy Kaplan. Consultants 582 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 2: include Nushin, Valiza Day, Chelsea Gooden and Jamie Albright. Artwork 583 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:14,680 Speaker 2: by Byron McCoy, original music by Makeup and Vanity Set 584 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 2: mixed and mastered by Dayton Cole. Our theme song is 585 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 2: Killer Shangli Law by Psychotic Beats featuring Pattiamore. Special thanks 586 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:27,240 Speaker 2: to Aorn Rosenbaub and the team at Uta Beck Media 587 00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 2: and Marketing, Aren Siegel, Becky Jensen, the Nord Group, Meredith Stedman, 588 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,440 Speaker 2: Rose Baruk and Alex Bespustad