Declassified records reveal that Russian operatives involved in a historic assassination using a lethal umbrella evaded prosecution following a request by British authorities to halt the investigation. The incident dates back to 1978 when Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was fatally injected with ricin from an umbrella while waiting at a London bus stop. Despite suspicions of state-sponsored involvement, the case went cold until a former KGB officer named Francesco Gullino was identified as the main suspect in 1993.
Additional revelations surfaced when ex-KGB agent Oleg Kalugin disclosed that Bulgaria’s former leader Todor Zhivkov ordered the assassination, seeking assistance from Soviet security services. However, efforts to pursue justice were obstructed when British officials, acting on Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s request, advised against further investigation due to potential political sensitivities in Moscow.
Markov, a vocal critic of the Bulgarian regime, had defected to the UK in 1971 and worked for the BBC World Service. His provocative broadcasts and satirical programs earned him enemies within the government. The attack on Markov involved a minuscule platinum-iridium pellet containing ricin, a substance previously linked to another Bulgarian dissident, Vladimir Kostov, in Paris.
Despite mounting evidence implicating the KGB in Markov’s murder, the case faced numerous obstacles, including the destruction of crucial documents by Bulgaria’s post-Soviet administration. Markov’s mysterious death was further shrouded in intrigue when his BBC colleague, Vladimir Simeonov, also met an untimely demise under suspicious circumstances.
Amid ongoing inquiries and diplomatic complexities, Markov’s widow, Annabel, a renowned novelist, continues to advocate for the truth to be unveiled, emphasizing the importance of resolving the unresolved chapter in her late husband’s tragic tale.
