This twitter thread crystallised for me why Lebedev coverage today so frustrating.
Russian soldiers are killing women & children trying to flee.
And our prime minister's relationship with the son of an ex-KGB agent is deeply problematic.
AS WE HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS
1/
To be clear, @Gabriel_Pogrund's story in ST following up @pcaruanagalizia revelations is important.
A breakthrough moment.
But we have been trying to tell story not just of Lebedev but of Johnson's Russian links FOR YEARS
2/
thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-…
In July 2019, @nickhopkinsnews did pair of jaw dropping stories. Johnson had attended a NATO summit on sanctions post-Skripal.
He threw off security detail, flew to Italy & partied with Lebedev.
And then the photos turned up: Johnson, a hungover mess
3/
theguardian.com/politics/2019/…
Then @TownsendMark & I revealed extra gobsmacking detail.
It wasn't just Evgeny Lebedev at party. His father, Alexander, the ex-KGB agent flew in from Russia.
Reminder: this was immediately after Putin used a prohibited chemical weapon on UK soil.
4/
theguardian.com/media/2019/nov…
Russia attacked one British citizen. And killed another. With a banned unconventional weapon. An act of aggression that led to sanctions & UK & US & EU expelling dozens of Russian spies.
And Boris Johnson's response was to leave a NATO summit to meet an ex-KGB spy? WHAT?!?
5/
Is there even any such thing as an ex-KGB agent?
Litvenko (FSU) was poisoned with radiation. Skripal (GRU) was Novichocked.
And what does Lebedev Snr do now? Well here he is spreading Russian propaganda in newspaper his son owns.
6/
independent.co.uk/voices/comment…
What are Alexander Lebedev's views on illegal annexation of Crimea? They're Putin's views.
Unsurprisingly. He has business in Crimea. Remember, Russia didn't invade Ukraine last week. Crimea IS Ukraine. And it invaded in 2014.
So what on earth is Johnson deal with him & son?
7/
We don't know. Because despite major investigations by Jim Cusick, @lukeharding1968 & @johnsweeneyroar, it was buried.
Because in Britain, if r/w media & BBC ignore. It's not a story.
Yet it was. In plain sight.
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
8/
Will BBC finally now cover it? When we broke the above, @amolrajan was media correspondent. He was also close to Lebedev, his former boss. As former editor of the @Independent, he'd had to publish his pro-Putin propaganda.
9/
standard.co.uk/comment/commen…
It's why MPs @BenPBradshaw & @RhonddaBryant & @IanCLucas are speaking out. Why I can't handle A Neil's hypocrisy. And why after seeing footage of mother & children, I wanted to set this down.
It's not peevishness. It's frustration & sadness & fear.
It's just all so late.
10/
If only there had been some sign.
11/
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