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Comment by logicallee | Hacker News Reader

>which is probably going to cause these people to die.

source? My understanding is that spy stuff is a giant circle jerk where high-IQ bored people sit around taking tax-payer dollars.[1] Why would they kill each other? That just ends the game.

what makes you think anyone kills spies anymore?

[1] you'll literally hear them make statements like "Hey, I thought this was going to be interesting! I'm just sitting around listening to other people's boring conversations all day." Well yeah that's what you signed up for.

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>what makes you think anyone kills spies anymore?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko

In your opinion, what do you think his profession was?

That's not how state actors kill people.

Radiation poisoning? Seems to be a Russian favorite means of asssassination in the last decade or so, in fact Edit actually I didn’t realize Litvinenko was the same famous case I considered part of a bigger trend and I don’t see other cases after a quick Google. Disregard my comment, with my apologies. I thought I remembered a larger pattern. That said, more generic poisoning does seem to be a pattern: https://www.google.com/amp/s/timeline.com/amp/p/4256eafcd76c

Could you elaborate? The Wiki page does not seem to mention any other case of radiation poisoning.

The radiation poisoning was certainly strange though. Any idea why this was done?

Because it sends a very clear signal that the assassination was done by a state actor (radioactive polonium requires a nuclear reactor).

You made a much stronger statement than that one very prominent case worker was killed (who published two books.) You said "these people will probably die". Your reference about it is interesting.

The Wikipedia page says Litvinenko published two books on the inner workings of the KGB. (And he would be in a position to know about them.) So, in those books, which I haven't read, does he claim that the KGB goes around killing its agents these days? Does anyone else claim that?

Does the CIA go around killing KGB agents and vice versa?

By the way a some time ago someone claiming to be from the CIA[1] said to me that the CIA thought I was a Russian spy and to cut it out - I'm visiting Georgia with a friend and I'm really concerned if spies are killing each other. I don't want anyone anywhere killing me etc for any reason.

So, I would like to know this information. you know, so I don't end up dead. I actually have zero reason to visit Georgia other than one of my friends going (who I've known for years and I would be incredibly surprised if I learned they're a spy - that's not my impression at all). But I'm curious about like, "what's the worst that could happen".

Georgia had some Russian political issues and tourist advice for some parts of it says, "hey don't go there"[2]

[1] I have zero evidence to back this up and am not inclined to believe him.

[2] https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/georgia -- unforutnately the US page is 404: https://ru.usembassy.gov/warning-south-ossetia-abkhazia.html

but the URL refers to "south essetia" which is in Red in the first link, and says "advise against all travel". So I am concerned about political stability, etc.

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