In Russia, the less you know the better you sleep

Getting away with murder

From the Times Literary Supplement:

"...Litvinenko went on to claim, on the basis of hearsay, that Putin had been known by KGB insiders to have been a padeophile and that once he became head of the FSB[successor to the KGB] he had destroyed secret tapes showing him having sex with underage boys...

These particular allegations about Putin by Litvinenko may well have had no basis. But that would not have prevented Putin from being outraged enough to strike out. In 2000 Putin observed  of his enemies: 'If you become jittery, they will think that they are stronger...You must hit first, and hit so hard that your opponent will not rise to his feet.'

This philosophy has served Putin well, enabling him to maintain his unchallenged political power in Russia for over one and a half decades and also, by all evidence, to get away with murder."