Udo Ulfkotte, a German journalist and former editor of Germany's prestigous newpaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung who spoke out in recent years about the control of his profession by the CIA and US government, has died of a heart attack. He was 56.

Russia Insider conducted an exclusive interview with Ulfkotte in October 2014. Here is an excerpt:

We’re talking about puppets on a string, journalists who write or say whatever their masters tell them to say or write. If you see how the mainstream media is reporting about the Ukraine conflict and if you know what's really going on, you get the picture. The masters in the background are pushing for war with Russia and western journalists are putting on their helmets.     

I'm ashamed I was part of it. Unfortunately I cannot reverse this. Although my superiors at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung approved of what I did, I'm still to blame. But yes, to my knowledge I am the first to accuse myself and to prove many others are to blame.