Cop Takes Corruption Campaign To Moscow

RFE/RL follows the movements of former police major and new You Tube star Aleksei Dymovsky, whose campaign against corruption in the police forces has caused a storm of controversy.  According to an article by Brian Whitmore, Dymovsky avowed at a press conference in Moscow that he has 150 hours of incriminating material on tape, which it seems he wishes to submit directly to video addressee Vladimir Putin.  The article also raises some question marks about whether the apparently media-savvy major, who has called his whistle-blowing ‘suicidal’, has a political puppet master behind him.  Indeed Whitmore highlights how the ex-major’s criticisms could be fueling an internal political battle:

Dymovsky’s allegations come at a time of intense clan warfare in the Kremlin, as security service veterans or “siloviki” surrounding Prime Minister Vladimir Putin battle for influence with technocrats close to President Dmitry Medvedev over Russia’s future political and economic direction.

Analysts say Dymovsky’s accusations are quickly becoming fodder for the Kremlin battle.

“Once this started to attract attention, a campaigncriticizing the Interior Ministry began. It is completely possible thatthe major’s actions are being used for this campaign,” said AndreiSoldatov, editor of agentura.ru, an online publication focusing onterrorism and security services.

Dymovsky posted his videos onNovember 5 and Nurgaliyev initially ordered an investigation into theallegations on November 8. But hours later, a ministry spokesmanannounced that the investigation was complete, and that Dymovsky, a10-year police veteran, had been fired for slandering his colleagues.