Nikita Chekulin
| Nationality | Russia |
|---|---|
| Profession | Government Explosive Specialist, Writer |
| Status | In Russia |
| Location | Russia |
| Contributor | yes |
| Phone |
Bio
Director of Moscow government office handling explosives. In 2001 he provided info to Shchekochikin, Duma Deputy regarding his departments history with Hexogen and FSB connection. Shchekochikin then linked him up with Berezovsky. Fled to UK in 2002 and claimed asylum, supported by Yuschenko: "I was shown a witness statement of Mr Yuschenkov dated 25 April 2002, which had been prepared to assist Mr Chekulin’s asylum application. This made clear his view at the time that Mr Chekulin’s life would be in danger if he returned to Russia. " https://www.carter-ruck.com/images/uploads/documents/Berezovsky-Judgment-100310.pdf Chekulin joined Berezovsky and claimed his department had provided Hexogen to the FSB for bombings. At the press conference of the film launch for "Blowing Up Russia" Chekulin was a present as a star whistle blower. In 2004/5 Chekulin returned to Russia, recanted, and blamed bombings on Berezovsky. Later blamed Berezovsky for Litvinenko's death. 2002, RFERL, "Meanwhile, Berezovskii pledged on 22 April to send documents to the Prosecutor-General's Office, lenta.ru reported on 21 April. According to "The Moscow Times" that day, these documents include a letter signed by Yushenkov to Britain's home secretary requesting political asylum for Nikita Chekulin, who, according to Yushenkov, witnessed the "uncontrolled transfer of explosives, including hexogen" ahead of the 1999 apartment-building bombings in Moscow and other Russian cities. Yushenkov had been seeking evidence that the Federal Security Service (FSB) was behind the explosions, which served to galvanize public opinion in support of military intervention in Chechnya. Chekulin is a former government expert on explosives (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 March 2002), and, according to Yushenkov's letter, he feared being murdered. JAC" March 7, 2002, https://www.rferl.org/a/1344653.html "BEREZOVSKY'S WITNESS PROVIDES MORE DETAILS ON FSB INVOLVEMENT. Nikita Chekulin, the Russian government's former expert on explosives, said on 7 March that -- as a former secret informer of the Federal Security Service (FSB) -- he initially did not believe embattled oligarch Boris Berezovsky's claims that the FSB was involved in terrorist explosions in Russia in the fall of 1999, "Gazeta" reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline" 6 March 2002). However, during his work in 2000 in the government's center for experimenting with explosives, Chekulin changed his mind because he ascertained the facts and saw documents that, he says, confirmed Berezovsky's accusations. VY"
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