Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

A group of former United Russia political operatives in the Saratov region have claimed responsibility for smear campaigns targeting political enemies of State Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Volodin, a senior party leader.

The editors and writers of the web site Conspirology.org said that that they had been hired by Duma Deputy Nikolai Pankov of United Russia to organize surreptitious media campaigns and stunts to discredit various regional and federal officials at odds with Volodin.

Targets included Saratov Governor Pavel Ipatov and several regional and federal lawmakers, Osovin said.

A fellow collaborator on the site, Alexei Smirnov, said he and his colleagues had a crisis of conscience about their work that prompted them to go public.