Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin says he has a strong faith in God and carries a Christian cross with him wherever he goes. He once told George W Bush about it in a private meeting they once had and George W said that he had the opportunity to look into Putin's soul.

Wikileaks has now turned its attention to Russia and the question is being asked - did Putin know about the poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.

The Kremlin has adamantly denied any involvement of the murder in 2006 but a new batch of diplomatic cables released this week say that an American diplomat (US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Friedhat) said that Putin would almost certainly have known about it. He also said that Russia was awash in corruption with government officials, politicians and gangsters working hand-in-hand to create a 'virtual mafia state'.

Litvinenko swore on his deathbed that Putin was behind his radiation poisoning because he exposed the Russian Secret Service's violent activities in helping Putin's rise to power. US diplomats say political bribery is rampant in Russia. More serious leaks emerged yesterday with the accusation that Putin accumulated 'illicit proceeds' from his time in office and has hidden them overseas.

I'm surprised that Julian Assange is still breathing.