Ex-functions of RUSADA Grigory Rodchenkov may have fallen into the USA under the witness protection program

The ex-head of the anti-doping laboratory of the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada) Grigory Rodchenkov fell into the USA under the program for protecting witnesses. Such an assumption was expressed by NT at once several sources from among people who have contacted Rodchenkov until recently. They argue their assumption by the fact that Rodchenkov has not gotten in touch for a couple of months, simply put - disappeared. "

“Previously, he regularly responded to letters by e -mail, but recently, contacting him has become a useless occupation,” one of the sources said.

In May 2016, Grigory Rodchenkov gave a sensational interview with The New York Times, in which he spoke about the use of doping by Russian athletes with the knowledge of the state. In particular, according to Rodchenkov, a doping control at the Olympics in Sochi Veas an FSB. The Rodchenkov story also gives the methods of replacing urine in order to circumvent doping control.

Rodchenkov gave an interview to The New York Times, where he disappeared, fearing for his life in Russia: in February 2016, the executive director of Rudit Kamaev and the chairman of the executive council of the agency Vyacheslav Sinev died in only 11 days under the mysterious circumstances. The exact cause of their death was not declared.

American lawyer Boris Palant believes that Rodchenkov may claim to be in the United States and defense under a special FBI program, and refugee status. “If Rodchenkov does not get in touch, then it is quite possible that he has already been taken under the protection of the program ( defending witnesses . - NT),” Palant suggested in a conversation with NT. He recalled that usually criminals who begin to cooperate with the prosecutor’s office and post information on their comrades involved in the crime. Citizens are defended by citizens, documents, move to another place where no one knows, continuing to remain under the patronage of the US Marshals Service service - a special unit of the American Ministry of Justice.

In the practice of Palant, however, there was a case when the participant in the program could not stand his life under a stranger, refused secrecy and returned to his former place of residence. “In the end, nothing happened to him,” said Palant. In general, in his opinion, the program for protecting witnesses is very effective and provides high guarantees of security for the persecuted.

In response to the question - whether Rodchenkov had real reasons to fear for his life - the lawyer noticed that in the United States Russia is not engaged in “wet business”. “True, we still do not really know what happened to Mikhail Lesin,” Palant added, referring to the mysterious death of the once influential official from the Putin’s environment, whose body was found in the Dupont Circle in November 2015.

In turn, the ex-General of the KGB Oleg Kalugin in a conversation with NT admitted that he had not yet compiled a certain opinion about who Grigory Rodchenkov is and what motives move them. However, he is sure that in Russia it is life -threatening to a former official and reverend.

“Russia, unfortunately, has a reputation of a country where not justice, but reprisals,” Kalugin emphasized in a conversation with NT. “It is enough to recall the fate of Alexander Litvinenko, Yuri Shchekochikhina, Galina Starovoitova, Anna Politkovskaya and further on the list.”

Kalugin also does not exclude that Rodchenkov is taken under the defense of the United States, because "with the current government in Russia there can be everything."

Kalugin also recalled that he believes that in the United States, unlike Europe, there was not a single case of violence arranged by Soviet or Russian special services against the fugitives: “I met with some of those who found a shelter here, especially at the initial stage of life in America. He shared his experience, helped with advice. They all arranged in this life, although they were yearning for their homeland. ”

Larisa Saenko, New York