October 25, 2008 By Robert Amsterdam

On the Karinna Moskalenko Situation

I have been receiving questions from several friends, colleagues, and a few reporters regarding the situation of Karinna Moskalenko. As many of you recall, Karinna discovered what looked like mercury pellets in her car on Sunday, Oct. 12. That week she and her children fell ill. Karinna was worried they may have been poisoned. She went to the French police and asked them to investigate. By Tuesday, Oct. 14, international media had picked up on the story following comments made by Karinna to Echo Moskvy regarding the likely mercury discovery. On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the French newspaper Le Figaro quoted unnamed police sources saying that the former owner of Karinna’s car had been found, and that he said the mercury may have come from a barometer he accidentally broke in the vehicle a few months ago. By Friday, Oct. 24, reports emerged stating that the French authorities believed the most likely scenario explaining the presence of the mercury was that of an accident. The investigation, however, has not yet concluded, no official announcements have been made, and neither Karinna nor her children have yet fully recovered from their exposure to the substance.