Russian bank VTB’s German subsidiary has filed a complaint with Russia’s Constitutional Court over a law allowing the country’s courts to assert exclusive jurisdiction over commercial disputes involving sanctioned Russian parties which has been used to bar it from pursuing HKIAC arbitration against its parent Register for free to receive GAR’s daily briefing and access to GAR 100 expert analysis and essential resources from the Global Arbitration Review experts Copyright © Law Business ResearchCompany Number: 03281866 VAT: GB 160 7529 10 Leading expert ranked in Lexology Index Get more from GARSign up to our daily email alert Unlock unlimited access to all Global Arbitration Review content delivered a stark message to the country’s opposition in exile: Criticize the Kremlin “Anyone who tries to harm their homeland, country and citizens will lose everything and die beyond the borders of our country, like a dog,” Lugovoy said at a press briefing on Wednesday Russian lawmakers in the State Duma (the lower chamber of the country’s parliament) on Wednesday passed the first reading of a bill allowing property to be seized from individuals convicted of discrediting or spreading falsehoods about Russia’s armed forces The bill was approved by a 395-3 margin.  Russian courts routinely label news as “fake” if it contradicts Kremlin views about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine Even using the word “war” instead of the phrase “special military operation” carries the risk of up to 15 years imprisonment.  and President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law Lugovoy argued that Kremlin critics should face both prison and the loss of their property They live on the money that comes to them from Russia But we will not allow this situation,” he said The MP foretold a grim fate for Russian opposition figures abroad suggesting they “either end up with alcoholism or disappear without a trace.”  Lugovoy, along with childhood friend Dmitri Kovtun, was implicated by the U.K in the murder of ex-Russian spy and dissident Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 Litvinenko died in London after ingesting radioactive polonium-210 in his tea at the Millennium Hotel’s Pine Bar where he sat together with Lugovoy and Kovtun Lugovoy has dismissed the accusations as “absurd.”  Sergey Goryashko is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program One week after the opposition politician’s death his body still hasn’t been handed over to the family concert venues,” says head of the country’s electoral commission Russian leader restates preference for Biden over Trump Security services disrupt campaign aimed at sowing discord with high-profile vandalism among the tactics used A NUCLEAR armageddon will see "Russians go to heaven and the West banished to hell" a Kremlin propagandist has said in a bizarre TV rant Top Putin crony Andrey Lugovoy - who is accused of assassinating former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko on British soil - said the dictator could "end human history" with his hypersonic nuclear arsenal is wanted by the UK authorities for Litvinenko's murder in London in 2006 But the Kremlin dictator has repeatedly refused to extradite him The alleged killer appeared on Russian national TV to deliver a sick rant about Russia nuking the West Speaking on propaganda channel Tsargrad TV Lugovoy bluntly said: “Given that there are nuclear weapons in the world we should always prepare for the possibility of nuclear clashes especially since we have just changed our nuclear doctrine The propagandist then went on to say Putin would destroy the entire world and "end the human race" in case of a nuclear war. He added: "[Nuke war] will be the end of human history. That's what President Putin is talking about. A US intelligence report found that Lugovoy was directly linked to the killing of Litvinenko - and that it was personally signed off by Putin in 2006 The assessment said: "The official British inquiry into Litvinenko's murder concluded that Putin 'probably approved' it based upon a review of physical evidence and decisionmaking on matters related to the security services." The Kremlin has always denied the allegations The assassination made headlines around the world and the case has since been explored in a number of documentaries as well as a 2023 ITV series ALEXANDER Litvinenko had been an officer with the Federal Security Service (FSB) - the successor to the KGB - but fled to Britain with his family to seek political asylum after criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin His murder was suspected to have been personally signed off by Putin, something the Kremlin has repeatedly denied The former Russian spy met Lugovoy at the Millennium Hotel in London's Mayfair for a cup of tea It is believed Lugovoy slipped deadly radioactive polonium-210 into his cup of tea Before his death, the former KGB spy reported his own murder to the police saying he had been assassinated on the orders of Putin He said: “This was done by the Russian secret service because I have knowledge of this system "I know that to kill a citizen of another country this order can be given only by one person This person is the president of the Russian Federation A radioactive trail around London was also found by investigators Ex-Scotland Yard deputy commissioner Peter Clarke who led the inquiry into the death and features in Channel 4 doc believed this was a case of "state-sponsored murder" Russia refused to extradite Lugovoy and one of his accomplices to face trial in Britain Litvinenko's death was dramatised for the 2023 ITVX series Litvinenko, with former Doctor Who star David Tennant playing the lead role The four episodes follow the group of detectives investigating the fatal poisoning The documentary features an interview with top Scotland Yard cop Clive Timmons who investigated the whistle-blower's death in 2006 This is not the first time Putin's stooges have threatened the destruction of the West in bizarre TV rants Top Putin crony Dmitry Kiselyov warned that any bid by the West to "inflict a strategic defeat on Russia” would result in Armageddon He said that Putin will sink Britain under a nuclear tidal wave if Nato sends troops to Ukraine Kiselyov - a TV presenter who is also chief of Russia’s largest propaganda empire - said Putin would unleash Satan-2 and other deadly nuclear missiles The hardliner warned the West not to drive Putin into a corner Kiselyov said: "If NATO countries send their troops into Ukraine in order to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia then the very moment about which Putin once said “Then everything [all types of missile] would be launched by us "American decision-making centres and launchers on land and at sea are already in their sights “The British Isles will simply go underwater We have all the required technology for this….but it’s better not to let things get to that point.” one of two Russians named on Thursday by a judge led-British inquiry as the killers of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko said the accusations against him were "absurd" the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.The inquiry into the 2006 killing in London concluded that President Vladimir Putin probably approved a Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Litvinenko.It said his poisoners were former KGB bodyguard turned lawmaker Lugovoy and fellow Russian Dmitry Kovtun.Lugovoy who represents the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia in the Russian parliament called the British inquiry "a pathetic attempt by London to use a skeleton in the closet for the sake of its political ambitions".He said the findings of the inquiry published on Thursday continued Britain's "anti-Russian hysteria" which he said began after "the events in Ukraine in 2014"."The accusations brought against me are absurd," he said."As we expected The results of the inquiry published today are yet more proof of London's anti-Russian stance unwillingness to establish the true cause of Litvinenko's death."Litvinenko an outspoken critic of Putin who fled Russia six years before his murder died after drinking green tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a London hotel.Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Andrew Osborn Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Mr Lugovoy has denied responsibility for the murder I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The key suspect in the Litvinenko murder inquiry is to mock the allegations by filming a TV show based on the death A UK public inquiry ruled this week that Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun poisoned former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in a London hotel in 2006 It is understood that this was because Mr Litvinenko fled Russia for the UK in 2000 and began working for MI6 The inquiry also found that the murder was “probably” sanctioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin who fronts a programme called Traitors on Russian television has said that he will dedicate part of the latest series to the allegations with episodes focusing on Russian spies who go on to work for British intelligence He also ridiculed this week’s court ruling by Sir Robert Owen, asserting that the judge had “clearly gone mad” and that the allegations were “nonsense.” He said: “The fact that such words as ‘possibly’ and ‘probably’ were used in the report, means there is no proof, nothing concrete against us.” Mr Lugovoy has refused to stand trial in the UK regarding the allegations. Russia has also refused to extradite him, arguing that to do so would be against the country’s constitution. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies The ITVX show's final episode saw the inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko's death dramatised David Tennant's new ITVX series Litvinenko is now available in full on the platform with each of the four episodes following a different protagonist in their efforts to get justice for the titular figure The fourth episode largely follow Marina Litvinenko as she works with British barrister Ben Emmerson to secure a public inquiry into her husband's death The final episode ends in 2016, but just how did it play out, and what happened to some of the major real-life figures, such as Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun who were accused of Alexander's murder Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Litvinenko and what happened to the real people next At the end of the fourth episode of Litvinenko the judge at the inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko's death finds that he was deliberately poisoned by Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun and that they were acting on behalf of others with there being a \"strong probability\" that it was on behalf of the FSB The then-Home Secretary Theresa May is then seen reading a statement in the House of Commons in archive footage in which she says the inquiry found the FSB operation was probably approved by the then-head of the FSB Nikolai Patrushev and by President Vladimir Putin Brent Hyatt and his wife are then seen meeting with Marina Brent and his wife reveal that they plan to name their baby Sasha They subsequently lay flowers at Alexander's grave Lugovoy and Kovtun have always strongly denied having any involvement in the death of Litvinenko Russia has also denied claims that it was in any way involved Lugovoy is now reportedly \"high up in Moscow’s Security and Anti-Corruption committee\". He is still currently wanted in the UK in relation to Litvinenko's murder but Russia has rejected requests for his extradition Kovtun died in Moscow in June of this year, reportedly from COVID-19 In the years since the inquiry into Alexander's death came to an end Marina Litvinenko has continued to seek justice for him and to campaign on issues in relation to the Russian state These have included the 2018 Skripal case which was formerly dramatised in The Salisbury Poisonings in which former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies Sergei Skripal The subsequent death of British civilian Dawn Sturgess was later linked to the same poison, a nerve agent called Novichok. The British government has accused Russia of the attempted assassination of the Skripals which the Russian foreign ministry has always denied Marina Litvinenko has also spoken out regarding the situation of Alexei Navalny – the Russian opposition leader who was poisoned in 2020 and arrested in 2021 when he returned to Russia – and against the country's ongoing war in Ukraine She has also given her approval to the ITVX drama and spoke extensively with both the cast and creatives behind the drama She recently explained to RadioTimes.com and other press why she agreed to the drama saying that \"it's so important to keep his voice alive She continued: \"I realise with this drama [there] will be more understanding for what happened There’s still some questions [from people] Are you sure he was poisoned?’ – when they watch this episode I think more and more people will realise what happened.\" Litvinenko is available as a full boxset on ITVX now For more news, interviews and features, visit our Drama hub, or find something to watch now with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide as she works with British barrister Ben Emmerson to secure a public inquiry into her husband's death The final episode ends in 2016, but just how did it play out, and what happened to some of the major real-life figures, such as Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun who were accused of Alexander's murder Stephen Campbell Moore as Ben Emmerson in Litvinenko ITV studios for ITVXAt the end of the fourth episode of Litvinenko the judge at the inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko's death with there being a "strong probability" that it was on behalf of the FSB They subsequently lay flowers at Alexander's grave ITV studios for ITVXAs stated at the end of the episode Lugovoy is now reportedly "high up in Moscow’s Security and Anti-Corruption committee". He is still currently wanted in the UK in relation to Litvinenko's murder Kovtun died in Moscow in June of this year, reportedly from COVID-19 Keep up to date with all the dramas - from period to crime to comedy By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Margarita Levieva as Marina Litvinenko and James Esler as Anatoly Litvinenko ITV Studios for ITVXIn the years since the inquiry into Alexander's death came to an end These have included the 2018 Skripal case The subsequent death of British civilian Dawn Sturgess was later linked to the same poison, a nerve agent called Novichok. The British government has accused Russia of the attempted assassination of the Skripals Marina Litvinenko has also spoken out regarding the situation of Alexei Navalny – the Russian opposition leader who was poisoned in 2020 and arrested in 2021 when he returned to Russia – and against the country's ongoing war in Ukraine She recently explained to RadioTimes.com and other press why she agreed to the drama saying that "it's so important to keep his voice alive She continued: "I realise with this drama ‘Are you sure it's happened like this I think more and more people will realise what happened." For more news, interviews and features, visit our Drama hub, or find something to watch now with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide James HibbsDrama WriterJames Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism you are agreeing to site title privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribe to RT!Subscribe to Radio Times magazine and get £10 issues for £10! Could your home unlock your dreams?Releasing equity from your home could help give you the retirement you've been dreaming of? Holiday brochuresNeed inspiration of where to go next Request a free brochure and start your journey The TimesResponding to the results of the Litvinenko inquiry yesterday who is widely suspected of poisoning the Russian dissident ten years ago with polonium used a favourite phrase of President Putin: “The dog barks The message to Britain was clear: allege what you like about my involvement in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko Almost a decade since the Crown Prosecution Service charged him with poisoning Mr Litvinenko in London Mr Lugovoy was elected an MP for the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia which is actually an ultra-nationalist outfit that "I believe that the truth has finally been uncovered," says ex-KGB agent's widow Lawyer accuses President Vladimir Putin and his allies of being "willing to murder those who stand in their way" The final hearings in the lengthy public inquiry have concluded and a report is due by the end of the year '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" The bridesmaids and groomsmen wore sky-blue outfits to match Andrei Lugovoy’s tie now an ultra-nationalist politician in the Russian State Duma and pretended to tread a giant bucket of grapes The festivities stretched over several days and the couple changed into cossack outfits in a “spirit of Russian patriotism” and then football strips The wedding pictures were published in the Russian edition of Heat magazine yesterday but The inquiry will be chaired by Sir Robert Owen, a high court judge who is the current coroner in the inquest into Litvinenko's mysterious death, who has said there is material that does "establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state". The decision, announced by Theresa May in a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday morning follows pressure from Owen and Litvinenko's widow for a public inquiry "to get to the truth behind my husband's murder" and represents a U-turn in government policy May had previously resisted calls for a public inquiry admitting "international relations have been a factor in the government's decision-making" Now investigators will be able to probe whether the Russian state was behind his murder at a time when relations between London and Putin are strained in the aftermath of the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight in Ukraine so far as is consistent with the Inquiries Act 2005 where responsibility for the death lies" when and where Litvinenko died and "make such recommendations as may seem appropriate" She added: "The inquiry will not address the question of whether the UK authorities could or should have taken steps which would have prevented the death "It is more than seven years since Mr Litvinenko's death and I very much hope that this inquiry will be of some comfort to his widow Litvinenko died a painful death aged 43 after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210 with two Russian men at the Millennium hotel in Grosvenor Square The former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun have been identified as the prime suspects but both deny any involvement and remain in Russia The UK Crown Prosecution Service charged Lugovoi with murder by deliberate poisoning six months after Litvinenko died and the then director of public prosecutions said Lugovoi should be extradited from Russia to face trial for "an extraordinarily grave crime" Litvinenko's family believes he was working for MI6 at the time he died and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin Owen had previously called for a public inquiry to allow secret sensitive government material to be examined He stated that without the public inquiry his examination of any Russian involvement would not be possible because he would not be able to consider sensitive evidence held by the government That material did "establish a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state" in the death May wrote to Owen stating: "It is true that international relations have been a factor in the government's decision-making An inquest managed and run by an independent coroner is more readily explainable to some of our foreign partners and the integrity of the process more readily grasped under a chairman appointed by the government which has the power to see government material potentially relevant to their interests The government at that point said it wanted to "wait and see" what a judge-led inquest found In January this year Marina Litvinenko launched a high court case to force a public inquiry and the following month the high court ruled the Home Office had been wrong to rule out an inquiry before the outcome of an inquest "I am relieved and delighted with this decision," said Marina Litvinenko "It sends a message to Sasha's murderers: no matter how strong and powerful you are truth will win out in the end and you will be held accountable for your crimes It has taken nearly eight years to bring those culpable to justice I have full confidence in Sir Robert Owen and the inquiry process I look forward to the day when the truth behind my husband's murder is revealed for the whole world to see." The murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 was “probably approved” by President Vladimir Putin, a U.K. inquiry reported Thursday Litvinenko died in a London hospital days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 which he drank in a cup of tea at a London hotel in November 2006 Sir Robert Owen, the chairman of a public inquiry set up by the British government in July 2014, found that Litvinenko was the target of an operation by Russia’s FSB security service which was “probably approved” by Putin Sir Robert wrote that he was “sure” the polonium was placed in the teapot by former KGB agent and now Russian MP and Lugovoy’s childhood friend Dmitri Kovtun with the intention of poisoning Litvinenko The report found “no evidence at all that either Mr Lugovoy or Mr Kovtun had any personal reason to kill Mr Litvinenko.” Instead “all the evidence points in one direction Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun were acting on behalf of someone else.” Lugovoy called the charges against him “absurd,” and Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said the report was “politically motivated.” Russian news agency Interfax cited a Russian law enforcement source saying Lugovoy and Kovtun would not face prosecution in the country The British government responded Thursday by imposing asset freezes on Lugovoy and Kovtun (for whom there are outstanding arrest warrants) Home Secretary Theresa May told the House of Commons “the government remains committed to pursuing justice in this case.” She said Sir Robert made a recommendation in the closed section of his report but that the government would respond in due course A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron labeled the findings “extremely disturbing,” while saying the government’s response needed to take into account the need to work with Russia on other issues “When you look at the threat from Daesh (ISIL) it is an example of where you put … national security first,” the spokeswoman said Speaking outside London’s High Court Thursday Marina said she was “very pleased” with the report “The words my husband spoke on his deathbed when he accused Mr Putin have been proved by an English court,” she said ‘We now need an election to allow people to make their own judgment,’ McGuinness wrote British PM wants Londoners to go about ‘business as usual.’ More than four-fifths said EU proposals not fit for modern needs EU can’t rely on ‘facts and evidence’ found in media and on the internet The TimesThere is a mystery at the heart of Andrey Lugovoy’s life; one that suggests a “cover” was created for him by the Russian state to penetrate Alexander Litvinenko’s inner circle In 2001 Lugovoy was reportedly imprisoned after helping to assist an associate of Boris Berezovsky the oligarch who had fallen out of favour with the Kremlin and who later employed Litvinenko was the former KGB officer upon his release able to build a private security business in Russia that would depend upon the goodwill of the security services Some suggested he had never been in prison: it had been a state ploy to fool Mr Berezovsky Russian science journalist Asya Kazantseva announced Monday she has fled Russia following a “wave of hate” from pro-war groups and government officials over her anti-war views.  Kazantseva is the latest high-profile figure forced into exile amid an intensifying crackdown on the few Kremlin critics who have remained in the country since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in early 2022 said her decision to leave the country was based on efforts by authorities to “cleanse the media landscape from disloyal elements” ahead of the March 2024 presidential elections in which Vladimir Putin is seeking his fifth term in office.  “They probably want to simply discredit me scare me and drive me out of the country,” Kazantseva wrote on Facebook In December, two bookstores in Moscow and the city of Tver canceled Kazantseva’s book presentations following what she described as “denunciations” from pro-war figures Kazantseva wrote that the cancellations “made it problematic to earn a living.” Around the same time, lower-house State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoy slammed Kazantseva as a “traitor” and published her past home addresses. Lugovoy has since deleted his post, while Kazantseva said she no longer lived at the addresses.  The Duma’s ethics committee said it found no violations and argued that Lugovoy enjoys freedom of speech guaranteed under the Russian Constitution.  “A friendly lawyer said if they [Russian authorities] wanted to open a criminal case against me they’d find something to prosecute me for,” Kazantseva wrote Kazantseva said she has settled in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi “until better times.” Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Dobrin Property Management has purchased two apartment complexes in the city’s East End A Richmond property management company added two apartment complexes to its portfolio in recent weeks An entity tied to downtown-based Dobrin Property Management purchased the 76-unit Colorado Manor apartments near Randolph and the 56-unit Bradford Manor Apartments in the city’s East End in separate deals that both closed March 31 which lists Dobrin’s office as its principal address paid $3.11 million for the Colorado property and $2.24 million for Bradford Located beside Hollywood Cemetery along Colorado Avenue Colorado Manor was built in 1962 and consists of two-story townhouse units that are described in property records as low-income housing along Fairfield Avenue between 20th and 21st streets was constructed in 1965 and also consists of two-story townhomes Bradford Manor Apartments is located along Fairfield Avenue between 20th and 21st streets The seller for both properties was CC Fairview LLC an entity based in Connecticut that purchased the sites in 2015 in a multiparcel deal totaling $4.8 million The latest city assessment valued the 2-acre Bradford property at $1.62 million and Colorado Manor Dobrin did not respond to a request for comment A message left for its operations director was not returned Dobrin’s portfolio consists of rental units primarily in the VCU a pharmaceutical and health services management consulting firm led by Alex Lugovoy Lugovoy is listed as the registered agent for the LLC that owns Dobrin’s office building at 304 E This story is for our paid subscribers only Please become one of the thousands of BizSense Pro readers today Renew now by choosing a subscription below YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING SUPPORT@BUSINESSDEN.COM ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL SUPPORT@BUSINESSDEN.COM Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Hopefully Dobrin does a better job taking care of these than their other properties But in my opinion they seem shockingly bad on the maintenance front across the board from the places I’ve seen their signs on Picture caption needs work….”complexes in the City’s East End.” Randolph Manor is the Near West End planning district © 2025 Richmond BizSense - All Rights Reserved Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now × He is the man behind the most serious diplomatic falling out between Britain and Russia since the cold war he is also the person who put a fatal dose of radioactive polonium into Alexander Litvinenko's tea in one of the most notorious assassinations of the modern age Today, Andrei Lugovoi said it was time for Britain to "move on" from Litvinenko's agonising death four years ago and to drop attempts to extradite him to the UK Speaking before William Hague's arrival in Russia on his first visit to Moscow as foreign secretary Lugovoi said he would never travel to Britain to stand trial "The British press has trampled on my reputation My family and I have suffered great unpleasantness The only trial I'll accept is one in Russia." The Labour government was to blame for the four-year crisis in relations between Russia and Britain and had taken an unnecessarily aggressive attitude towards the Kremlin tomorrow has described bilateral ties under Labour as "very poor" he said the door was open to improved relations with Moscow Britain's coalition government is also keen for UK firms to gain access to Russian oil and gas fields The measures conveyed the Foreign Office's belief that the FSB was behind Litvinenko's murder "We were all sitting round a table in front of numerous witnesses," Lugovoi said was I supposed to throw the polonium in like a basketball He said Scotland Yard had obtained security camera footage of the encounter and dismissed Litvinenko as an "adventurist" on MI6's payroll who had most probably poisoned himself by accident "He was planning some kind of provocation against Putin and Russia and got careless with the polonium," he said Speaking before Hague's arrival, Russia's foreign secretary, Sergei Lavrov, blamed London for the spat, and said Russia was ready to reverse its retaliatory decision in 2007 to close Russian offices of the British Council. "This work was frozen on London's initiative," he said. "We have long been prepared to unfreeze it." The Crown Prosecution Service charged Lugovoi with Litvinenko's murder in May 2007, but British diplomats have indicated that there is unlikely to be much progress on issues relating to Litvinenko's death during Hague's trip. "Things will only change if Lugovoi is bundled on a plane back to the UK," one source said. Lugovoi said that detectives had failed to offer any evidence in their case against him as there was not any evidence. "If they have any proof let them put it on the table. They won't do it," he said. The solution to improved ties was for Britain to stop making "noisy and unhelpful public statements" about the Litvinenko affair, he said, and instead raise their grievances in private. "Relations between Britain and Russia have gone through several difficult patches over the past 200 years. But in life you have to look forward. I don't think there's any point in looking back." A former KGB agent suspected of murdering Alexander Litvinenko has told a press conference that he will no longer assist the UK-based inquest into the spy's death. Andrei Lugovoy, who is now a Russian politician, told a conference in Moscow hosted by Russian news agency Interfax that he could not receive “justice” in Britain. Mr Litvinenko, 43, died in November 2006 after he was poisoned with polonium-210 while drinking tea at a London meeting - allegedly with Lugovoy, who denies all involvement. While attempts to extradite Lugovoy to the UK have been rejected by the Russians, it was thought he might have provided video-link evidence to the inquest in London. According to Interfax, Lugovoy told the press conference: "I have no hope to get justice in the UK. I finally lost faith in the possibility of an impartial investigation of the case in England. "I have to say that I'm out of the coroner's investigation and I will not participate in it." It has been claimed that Lugovoy and another former KGB agent, Dmitry Kovtun, poisoned Mr Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square. A previous hearing was told that Mr Litvinenko had been hired by MI6 for a number of years and was working with the Spanish secret service investigating the Russian mafia shortly before his death. He was said to regularly meet with an MI6 handler, named only as Martin, in central London and was paid by both the British and Spanish secret services into a joint bank account he held with his wife. Last month, coroner Sir Robert Owen ruled that sensitive evidence alleged to expose Mr Litvinenko's ties to MI6 will be examined in secret. His family have urged the Government to reveal the documents but Foreign Secretary William Hague has argued that the disclosure could pose a risk to national security. The nature of the evidence contained within the files remains unclear but lawyers for the Litvinenko family claim the documents could point towards Russian state involvement. The inquest is due to formally open on May 1, more than six years after Mr Litvinenko was killed. Sir Robert will hold a hearing on Thursday, in which he will hear applications for anonymity of witnesses and will consider submissions on the inquest timetable. A spokesman for the inquest said: "It is too early to say whether Mr Lugovoy will be called to give evidence and, if he is, how it would be given." (function (w) { var el = document.getElementById('IAaeCBWjti-background-viewport'); w.Shorthand && w.Shorthand.initInstantImage w.Shorthand.initInstantImage(el) : w.SHPreloadInstantImages w.SHPreloadInstantImages.push(el) : w.SHPreloadInstantImages = [el]; w.Shorthand.initFocalPointPictures(); })(window)Sitting at a table in a central London bar who was expensively dressed with a big gold watch on his wrist asked the other if he would like some of the tea which he had bought earlier He accepted the offer and took a couple of sips and afterwards they were joined by another man with a sombre demeanour and the conversation turned to a meeting the group were due to have the next day with an international risk management company in the capital the expensively dressed man's family arrived and he said he had to leave - his group was due to watch a football match between Arsenal and CSKA Moscow that evening The man who sipped the odd tasting tea was former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko Just over three weeks after the meeting at the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel What was described as a nuclear attack on British soil unleashed an international scandal the consequences of which are still reverberating today a 10-year UK public inquiry concluded that in all probability the two men he met were Russian agents and in all likelihood assassinated Mr Litvinenko with the knowledge of Russian President Dmitri Kovtun and Andrey Lugovoy pictured in Moscow in 2007 In doing so they effectively sent a clear message to anyone who fancied following Mr Litvinenko and defecting to the West – they would be tracked down and killed using the most unpleasant poisons the Soviets had ever managed to create Both men and Russia have always denied culpability But the poisoning left hundreds of others affected – also contaminated by the highly radioactive polonium that had been used in the killing Among those also left reeling from the effects of the deadly substance was Derek Conlon, a piano player in the bar of the Millennium Hotel, whose life, by chance, became inextricably linked to that of Mr Litvinenko and whose story is now being told in a four-part Sky News podcast called Polonium and the Piano Player Piano player Derek Conlon was also poisoned in the Pine Bar and is now the subject of a four-part Sky News podcast series The placing into the tea pot of the liquid that ended the Russian's life badly affected Mr Conlon and impacted hundreds more It marked the end of a journey that is believed to have started in one of the most secretive places in Russia The tea pot into which the polonium was poured The poison's arrival in London then set off a chain reaction that ended with dozens of locations being sealed off in one of the biggest health emergencies the capital has ever seen as scientists in protective suits were sent in to conduct tests for alpha particle emissions in restaurants bus stops and all over one of the busiest cities in the world The story is said to have started in Sarov a place so secretive it can only be entered with prior permission of the Russian authorities Located about 230 miles (370km) east of Moscow nestling in flat woodland so dense it is impossible to see more than a few metres through the silver birch and pine trees it is famous as one of the country's closed towns It's said that barbed wire fences surround the entire area and all visitors The reason for the security is Sarov is the headquarters of the former Soviet Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics It is thought that the polonium-210 which killed Alexander Litvinenko came from the facility which is known in the West under the acronym VNIIEF VNIIEF is surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire The rare radioactive metal is manufactured at a nuclear reactor elsewhere by bombarding bismuth-209 with neutrons but has to be extracted in the laboratories at VNIIEF It is used commercially in miniscule amounts in devices that remove static from sensitive environments that must be kept dust free with just one gram said to be enough to kill 50 million people and make another 50 million sick Polonium is a metal but can be dissolved into a solution Its ionising radiation attacks soft tissue as it is spreads throughout the body it results in painful multiple organ failure Although it is a solid metal at room temperature it is said to be soluble in water and so can be transported as a liquid it breaks down with half its atoms switching to a different element every 140 days A Google streetview picture of the turning to Sarov which leads to a checkpoint beyond which only those with prior permission can go the inquiry into the death of Mr Litvinenko heard possibly transported to Moscow along the railway or flown to a military base in or around the capital from the small airport that is only used by government aircraft What exactly happened next remains a mystery What is known is that there were three probable plotted attempts to poison the Russian dissident polonium must have been carried by either Lugovoy or Kovtun around the centre of one of the biggest cities in the world - London Andrey Lugovoy would have carried the polonium with him around London One theory relating to how it could have got to London was relayed to the inquiry which heard claims that several weeks before the poisoning on 1 November 2006 a shipment of radioactive material was met in Austria carried by a Chechen "freelancer" called Sultan Russia's successor spy service to the KGB was said to have been intended to be used in the "neutralisation" of members of Chechen criminal groups did not discount the evidence but said there was not enough certainty to confirm the events definitely happened Lugovoy and Kovtun arrived in London on a Russian Transaero flight The killers flew from Moscow to Russia and back on Transaero flights Police in their subsequent inquiry were never able to test the Transaero aircraft the plane was mysteriously withdrawn from service A request was made to check the plane but Russian authorities replied that they had carried out the tests and they were negative The aircraft then never again re-entered British airspace Whether the polonium was carried on that plane cannot be determined and the inquiry was not able to find out what is known is that within a short time of arriving in London Lugovoy and Kovtun met Mr Litvinenko and made their first attempt to kill him using the polonium Mr Litvinenko was working as a consultant in the security industry regularly compiling what is known as "due diligence" reports into the activities of firms other companies want to do business with Lugovoy and Kovtun went with Mr Litvinenko to the offices of Erinys UK for a meeting One of the firms he worked for was a company called Erinys UK Mr Litvinenko often employed other external consultants in Russia and that was how he came to reconnect with Lugovoy and to trust him sufficiently to let him get close having originally met him while they both worked for the Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky in the 1990s about two and a half hours after Lugovoy and Kovtun had checked into their hotel in Shaftesbury Avenue Mr Litvinenko had a meeting at Erinys and took along both men to discuss a project that was being worked on But Mr Litvinenko told police the Russian would demonstrate his potential value by unveiling a device that listened in to telephone conversations It was not until after police began their investigations that people in protective equipment visited the office of Erinys and discovered a radiation reading so high it was concluded polonium must have been spilled on the table cloth A graphic produced by police for the public inquiry shows where on the Erinys board room table the concentration of polonium was highest Mr Litvinenko and his two Russian associates went to a branch of Itsu nearby Secondary contamination of radiation was also found at the seats where they would have sat It was later concluded that he had been poisoned at the meeting at Erinys but had a dose 100 times smaller than the one that killed him He didn't suspect anything and met up with the pair the next day to visit another security consultancy which is where Kovtun demonstrated his device switching from the Best Western in Shaftesbury Avenue to the Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge despite having a room booked at the Best Western for two nights A Google Street View image from 2008 shows the Best Western Shaftesbury Hotel as it was at the time where massive radiation readings were found in the bathroom bin of Room 107 Forensic experts later found radioactivity readings so high they concluded polonium had been poured down the sink of Lugovoy's en-suite at the Best Western Lugovoy and Kovtun returned to Moscow on another Transaero aircraft British authorities managed to get access to that plane later and discovered secondary contamination in the seats they had been sitting in on a British Airways flight and checked into the Sheraton Hotel in Park Lane Lugovoy met Mr Litvinenko twice on subsequent days Whether he used those meetings to try to slip some polonium into Mr Litvinenko's tea isn't known but what is known is that he had polonium at the hotel with him Lugovoy met Litvinenko twice at the Palm Court bar at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in central London Scientists found the highest level of contamination in the whole inquiry in his room at the Sheraton A government expert from the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston found massive readings in the bathroom bin and on items of hotel laundry which led the QCs at the inquiry to suggest there had been an accidental spillage of the radioactive liquid in the bathroom and a subsequent attempt to clean it up Evidence of the sloppiness of what may have occurred is indicated by high radioactivity readings being found on the wall under the bathroom window the floor of the room and massive readings on the entrance door to the room A graphic produced by the Met Police for the public inquiry which showed the level of contamination in the bathroom of Lugovoy's room at the Sheraton Lugovoy flew back to Moscow on another BA flight Both BA planes were tested and secondary contamination was found It did not provide enough information to determine whether polonium had been carried on the plane on the way there the liquid ban had been in place since the previous August so it is unlikely any polonium would have been carried in hand luggage as security checks had been carried out at the Russian end if Lugovoy or Kovtun had been conveying the poison into the UK from Moscow could any luggage they were carrying it in have been slipped past security on the way out both were probably acting under the direction of Russian state security Lugovoy and Kovtun were successful in their attempt to assassinate Mr Litvinenko Lugovoy arrived in London on a BA flight from Moscow his 19-year-old daughter and one of his business partners Lugovoy flew in from Moscow with his family saying they intended to watch football and stayed with them at the Millennium Hotel had arrived with her boyfriend and all subsequently met up at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square which they had planned on visiting since 10 October The family had come because they planned to attend the Arsenal-CSKA Moscow match at the Emirates Stadium the following night It was when he visited London in 2004 to see the team play Chelsea that he had reacquainted himself with Mr Litvinenko Lugovoy's daughter flew in to London on the BA plane G-EUUG - the only one of the planes identified as being used by any of the suspects or their family members that was not tested on a Germanwings flight from Hamburg into Gatwick He is thought to have gone via Hamburg because he needed to refresh his residency permit He had obtained this after being granted asylum in West Germany having deserted from the Russian military when he was told he would be posted from East Germany German authorities ended up carrying out extensive testing of the locations where Dmitri Kovtun stayed in Hamburg While in East Germany he had married a German woman and they both left the East The marriage didn't last but Kovtun and his ex-wife stayed in touch and it was with her that he stayed on one of the nights before he travelled to London Whether it was Lugovoy or Kovtun who carried a new batch of poison to the UK capital on the third occasion is also not certain but comments made by Kovtun to a contact he met up with in Hamburg suggest it might have been transported by him After attending the Hamburg Aliens' Registration Office with his ex-wife he left her and met up with a friend whom the inquiry called D3 He had known D3 since the pair worked together at a Hamburg restaurant in the mid-1990s and they had stayed friends Testing took place a multiple German sites associated with Kovtun While they were walking from a restaurant to a casino on their night out D3 later told police that Kovtun had mentioned Mr Litvinenko asked whether he knew a chef in London and said he "had a very expensive poison and needed a cook to administer it to Litvinenko… in Litvinenko's food or drink" D3 thought he was joking but Kovtun told him it was "meant to set an example" D3 told Kovtun he knew that a former chef at the restaurant where they had both worked was now in London and in the following days Kovtun contacted others until he had the chef's number the chef was too busy to meet up and didn't call back offering a time to meet until after the polonium had been administered As Kovtun was preparing to fly in to Gatwick from Hamburg Lugovoy arranged to meet Mr Litvinenko the following day there were several calls between Lugovoy and Mr Litvinenko until a final one after the dissident was already in central London telling him to come quickly so they could meet and prepare for a meeting the following day with a business contact The whole tea set that had been used at the last fateful meeting at the Millennium Hotel was later tested for radiation Mr Litvinenko arrived at the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel and met with Kovtun and Lugovoy a meeting after which he would become sick end up in isolation in University College Hospital It was not until after Mr Litvinenko began to tell his story to police on 18 November scientists began sealing off locations that Mr Litvinenko told police he had visited so they could be tested One of the first places to be tested was the Itsu sushi restaurant where Mr Litvinenko had visited with Lugovoy and Kovtun Checked on the first day of testing was the Itsu sushi bar Mr Litvinenko had visited with Lugovoy and Kovtun after their Erinys meeting and which the dissident visited again with a contact just before the fateful meeting in the Pine Bar Experts found traces of radiation on the seats where Lugovoy Kovtun and Mr Litvinenko had sat on 16 October but none in the seats he and his contact sat in on 1 November high readings were found in the offices of Erinys before the investigation began to spread out as more and more places were tested taken after he underwent hours of gruelling interviews with police providing vital information the Lugovoys had been to see the football and then returned home to Russia on another BA flight The plane too was subsequently tested and contamination found including in the seats where all the family members sat but the highest reading was where Kovtun was seated The hotel rooms where the Russians were staying were tested and secondary contamination was found in Lugovoy's room The highest reading was found in a sediment trap below the plughole in Kovtun's bathroom hundreds of readings were taken from 64 locations in England and Germany Several offices around central London were tested for contamination Secondary contamination was found all over central London including the offices of a firm called CPL Boris Berezovsky's office and the Pescatori restaurant off Piccadilly where both the Russian killers had dinner with a contact With so much highly specialised testing taking place in one of the busiest cities in the world keeping a lid on the investigation rapidly became impossible Almost all the newspapers led on the story on 21 November after it emerged the former Soviet agent who at the time had been looking into the murder of anti-Kremlin journalist Anna Politkovskaya Mr Litvinenko's home in Muswell Hill was one of the locations sealed off for days Health protection staff reported working around the clock to identify sites About 400 people were part of a team that had to close them to the public allow testing to take place and then clean them up afterwards Restaurants were among the places which had to be checked for traces of polonium They estimated that some 1,500 people were at risk of exposure to the polonium which was at high levels in multiple places 17 people were actually found to have been contaminated including the piano player in the Pine Bar who is said to have received the third highest dose The spout of the tea pot from which Mr Litvinenko and later Mr Conlon drank was contaminated with a primary source of radiation listen to the Polonium and the Piano Player podcasts from today Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun have never been tried for killing their target but were identified as being responsible by Sir Robert Owen in one of the biggest public inquiries of recent years had a brief stay in hospital soon after returning He then became an MP in the aftermath of the scandal who he spoke to after Mr Litvinenko's death said Kovtun told her "he had probably got some of the poison which killed Litvinenko" 'Those a******** have probably poisoned us all'." Sir Robert concluded it was unlikely they knew they were handling polonium although they would have known they were using a powerful poison Lugovoy said: "The results of the investigation.. yet again confirm London's anti-Russian position its blinkeredness and the unwillingness of the English to establish the true reason of Litvinenko's death." Kovtun said: "I am not involved in Litvinenko's death As for the outcome of the public inquiry that has been published in London Robert Owen could not have reached any other conclusions based upon the falsified and fabricated evidence." Both men have now had their foreign assets frozen by the US and UK governments but are free to go about as they please in Russia Alexander Litvinenko with his children at a market in the Caucasus in 1988 Words and digital production: Philip Whiteside Pictures: Reuters; Getty; Shutterstock; Sergei Chirikov/EPA/Shutterstock; Google; Met Police It is just over eight years since former Russian spook Alexander Litvinenko was assassinated by polonium poisoning at a central London hotel But only now has a British public inquiry started into the many questions surrounding the murder of Litvinenko an outspoken critic of the Russian establishment and corruption he alleged to surround Vladimir Putin's presidency Some accused Litvinenko of being a fantasist and conspiracy theorist The inquiry was started after a protracted legal battle by Litvinenko's widow, Marina, who fought official bureaucracy and the realpolitik of UK-Russia diplomacy for it to be set up runs a successful private security firm and is a former KGB agent He sits in the lower house of the State Duma as a member for the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDRP) after his election in 2007 He is also the prime suspect in the poisoning of Litvinenko the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had enough evidence to charge him with the murder But when it raised the prospect of extraditing Lugovoi from Russia the Kremlin said there was no chance because it would be unconstitutional Russian law does not allow its citizens to be extradited for trial in a foreign country Russian politicians are given immunity from prosecution who had been sacked by the Russian secret police after publicly accusing the Russian establishment of entrenched corruption in the late 1990s was working for MI6 at the time of his death The Home Office will not confirm or deny this Lugovoi met Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair on 1 November 2006 that Lugovoi is accused of poisoning Litvinenko's tea with polonium-210 He was in agony in his last days as the poison tore through his system Traces of polonium were found in rooms at the Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge where Lugovoi was known to have visited in October Aircraft in flights linked to Lugovoi were also found by British investigators to have been contaminated the late Russian oligarch and friend of Litvinenko Traces of polonium were found on another table at the Pine Bar thought to be linked to an earlier meeting between Lugovoi Kovtun and Litvinenko in which it is alleged a first poisoning might have been attempted Lugovoi is indignant at the accusations and proclaims his innocence Berezovsky denied any involvement in the Litvinenko killing accusing Lugovoi of doing the murder on the orders of Putin "I was framed," Lugovoy said in 2007 to the BBC "This was a conspiracy to slur Russia and the Kremlin "Can one come to London and cold-bloodedly kill and still behave calmly as I do – even though it hasn't been at all easy for me for the last year?" in 1966 when it was under the Soviet Union His father was a colonel in the Russian military for 35 years he followed his father into the military and joined the KGB he was a young officer training recruits for ceremonial duties as a troop commander with the Kremlin guard regiment "I was standing outside, just like your guards at Buckingham Palace," he told the Guardian in a 2008 interview And yet people make me out to be some kind of KGB monster He later became a bodyguard for Boris Yeltsin and his prime minister Yegor Gaidar as part of the Federal Protective Service before setting up his own private security firm in the mid-1990s and making his fortune through his contacts with powerful Russians Lugovoi claims the British intelligence services tried to recruit him as an agent to gather information on Putin To demonstrate his innocence over the Litvinenko scandal Lugovoi took a lie detector test for a Russian TV documentary in 2012 carried out by a British firm and which is not 100% accurate suggested he was telling the truth and not responsible for killing Litvinenko He abruptly ended his collaboration with a UK coroner's inquest into Litvinenko's death in 2013 and accused the British authorities of not treating him fairly "I have no hope of achieving justice in Great Britain," Lugovoi said at a press conference in Moscow "I have fully lost belief in the possibility of an impartial investigation of this case in England I'm forced to say that I am leaving the coroner's investigation and will not participate in it." He said Litvinenko was not important enough to the Russian authorities to warrant an assassination despite his critical writings and journalism including linking Putin to the notorious murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and "not a person of such a scale that the special services chased him around the world with an ice pick in their hands." Lugovoi is "regarded by many as a hero rather than a hired killer" according to Russia Today Lugovoi faces arrest and extradition to the UK if he leaves the safety of Russia and its allies So he will probably stay within the protection of Mother Russia's wing And it is likely we will never really know who murdered Litvinenko by slipping radioactive polonium into his tea says he can't even remember whether he ordered tea during his fateful encounter with Litvinenko on November 1 2006: "I remember drinking whisky or gin," he says Almost 18 months after Lugovoi met Litvinenko, Britain and Russia are still embroiled in a simmering diplomatic row It is reasonable to say that Lugovoi - a former KGB agent - is largely responsible for this ongoing war between Moscow and London following their meeting at London's Millennium hotel the Crown Prosecution Service charged Lugovoi with Litvinenko's killing rebuffed Britain's attempts to extradite Lugovoi back to the UK citing Russia's constitution - leading Britain and Russia to expel four of each other's diplomats and plunging both countries into their stickiest bilateral crisis since the cold war Russia closed down the St Petersburg office of the British Council - describing it as "a den of spies" relations have improved somewhat but Lugovoi remains a thorn in the side of the British government has even offered to buy Lugovoi a ticket back to the UK Lugovoi will be sitting in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium watching Manchester United play Chelsea in the Champions League final His presence in front of 50,000 English fans is an uncomfortable reminder of just how powerless Britain is these days (Lugovoi won't say where he is sitting but he is likely to be in the VIP zone with the rest of the Kremlin's elite.) He is excited about the game "Two English teams playing in front of a Russian public Marvellous!" he says enthusiastically Sitting in his office in Moscow's Radisson hotel He insists he didn't kill Litvinenko and says his meeting with Litvinenko on November 1 was a setup Doesn't he feel any sympathy for Litvinenko But I think he was definitely an agent of the English security services," Lugovoi says adding that Gordon Brown should stop trawling for secret agents "in the pub" good-humoured and lobbing the odd word of English ("absolutely" he says with a cut-glass accent) into his Russian he looks like an English gentleman with more than a hint of James Bond - he's wearing a pink shirt dandyish cuffs and sleek grey business suit given his status as a fugitive from British justice He says that he still likes many things about Britain - whisky football and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - a copy of the complete Sherlock Holmes stories sits on a bookshelf "I've read all of Sherlock Holmes," he says adding that he is especially fond of Conan Doyle's dinosaur adventure novel Lugovoi's own account of what happened with Litvinenko is innocuous He claims he flew to London not to kill Litvenenko but to watch the Russian champions CSKA Moscow play Arsenal at the Emirates stadium he and Litvinenko had originally agreed to meet on November 2 in the offices of a private security company On the morning of November 1 Litvinenko phoned him "at least five times" They agreed to rendezvous at the Millennium hotel where Litvinenko was staying with his wife and children together with his business partner Dmitry Kovtun I've always said I can't remember whether I ordered tea I remember that I drank some whisky or gin Kovtun said he thought Litvineko was drunk though we knew that Litvinenko had never drunk in his life." Lugvoi claims that this "strange" meeting with Litvinenko concluded rapidly "After 20 minutes my daughter arrived and came to the table I introduced her and my son to Litvinenko and we set off for the match," he says The next day Litvinenko called off their meeting "Litvinenko called me at 8.30am the next morning I went for a walk down Oxford Street with my family and we did some shopping." Lugovoi says he phoned Litvinenko again in hospital on November 7 ("We had an excellent conversation") and November 13 - the last call before Litvineko's death on November 23 He has stuck to this version of events since he was first linked publicly with Litvinenko's murder in November 2006 with Litvinenko's friends and family also accusing Putin of personally ordering Litvenenko's execution He has given the same account to Scotland Yard Their case against him rests upon the lingering trail of polonium following Lugovoi and Kovtun - not just in the infamous teapot aeroplanes and even a chair used by Lugovoi at the British Embassy in Moscow ("We had to burn the chair," one diplomat remarks acidly.) Investigators believe that Litvinenko took only the tiniest sip of poisoned tea Had he drunk the whole cup he would have died within hours his cause of death a mystery: the perfect crime Detectives also allege two earlier polonium-carrying trips to London They are uncertain whether these earlier journeys were dress rehearsals for Litvinenko's eventual assassination insists the polonium came from Litvinenko - a former member of Russia's post-KGB spy agency Lugovoi's claim that he is the victim has been gaining some ground the veteran US investigative journalist Edward Epstein claimed that Britain's evidence against Lugovoi was weak - and said that British prosecutors had failed to submit Litvinenko's autopsy report Litvinenko was an international polonium smuggler The Independent's Mary Dejevsky wrote a similarly revisionist piece raising doubt about the British case against Lugovoi none of the evidence against Lugovoi is likely to be aired in court British diplomats concede their attempts to bring Lugovoi to justice are presently hopeless Gordon Brown's faltering government is keen to draw a line under the Litvinenko row in the probably naive hope that relations can be improved with Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev Lugovoi has parlayed his celebrity into a political career Last December he became an MP for the Liberal Democratic party of Russia Lugovoi campaigned on an anti-British ticket (I covered one of his campaign trips in the western town of Kursk Surrounded by middle-aged women with 1960s hairdos he himself wore a pinstriped business suit and crocodile shoes I asked him whether he had relished Russia's recent 2-1 defeat of England in Moscow a result that eventually saw Russia qualify for Euro 2008 at England's expense "I had lots of text messages from friends saying: 'Andrei does he think that Britain and Russia are destined to be eternal enemies "Britain is a country that had a great empire in the past You can't not respect a country that owned half the world," he says magnanimously though: "Britain is also a country that has created problems for Russia." goes back a long way - at least as far as the Crimean war when the British "provoked Russia" by supporting the Turks Lugovoi also feels that King George V didn't lend enough support to his fellow-monarch and cousin Nicholas II Russia's last tsar - whom the Bolsheviks executed in 1918 ("George V preferred to see chaos in Russia.") He also bears a grudge against Churchill for failing to open a second front against the Nazis before 1944 "It was profitable for the British to watch the Germans go deeper into Soviet territory." As far as Russia goes Lugovoi says that he personally never supported communism that he believes the breakup of the Soviet Union was "a tragedy" and that Stalin and Peter the Great had their good sides and bad sides One of his grandfathers fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese war his father served for 35 years as a colonel and his brother worked on a Soviet nuclear submarine he attended the elite Soviet military command academy in Moscow he joined the KGB - serving in its 9th directorate which provided security to top state officials "They invited me," Lugovoi explains "Any normal Soviet officer would take it as an honour to be in the KGB It means that you are the best." Lugovoi denies that he was ever a spy and says that his job as head of a Kremlin platoon was rather boring Lugovoi trained new recruits to perform ceremonial duties outside the Kremlin just like your guards at Buckingham Palace," he says he joined the Federal Protection Service - providing protection for politicians including Boris Yeltsin and prime minister Yegor Gaidar Two photos of his trips to Washington with Gaidar hang on his wall Other photos indicate Lugovoi has a sense of humour There is a picture of Putin shaking hands with Boris Berezovsky - once Russia's most powerful oligarch before the two men fell out and Berezovsky decamped to Britain Lugovoi now enjoys immunity from prosecution - not that there is much prospect of the Kremlin bundling him on a plane back to Gatwick "I haven't made up my mind yet," he says He says he is interested in security matters and wants to improve working conditions for Russia's several million security guards "There is a great gap between what MPs earn and what pensioners get," he says His MP's job takes him on regular trips to Russia's far east he explains - to Irkutsk and to the beautiful I find Kovtun sitting outside Lugovoi's surprisingly cramped first-floor office next to Moscow's Kievskaya railway station Scotland Yard has not accused Kovtun of murder have charged him with bringing polonium-210 into the country While Lugovoi flew directly to London from Moscow Kovtun travelled to northern Germany on October 28 - leaving a trail of polonium on his mother-in-law's sofa (his ex-wife lives in Germany with her husband and children) and in a Hamburg government office Kovtun tells me he is unhappy about the charges Kovtun says it was merely "by chance" that he and Lugovoi met Litvinenko in the Millennium hotel "We sat down and waited for Andrei's family to turn up They'd gone to Madame Tussauds but they got lost on the way back If they hadn't got lost then Litvinenko wouldn't have sat with us in the bar." But what about the huge doses of polonium found by British investigators in Lugovoi's hotel room There was plenty of time for the British intelligence services to organise lots of things," he says Kovtun's answer points to one of the weaknesses in the British prosecutor's case: that while there is evidence linking the two Russians to Litvinenko It is still apparently unclear who ordered Litvinenko's assassination and why There are numerous theories: that Putin ordered Litvinenko's killing; that the Kremlin's powerful and hardline siloviki clan ordered it in order to precipitate a major crisis with the west and persuade Putin to stay on for a third term as president; that past or present FSB officers took it upon themselves to eliminate a despised traitor The truth is only likely to emerge if there is a real change of government in Russia Putin has just got a new job as Russia's prime minister Most experts expect him to exercise a decisive influence on Medvedev can rely on powerful friends inside the Kremlin to help him in the event of trouble I ask him if he had any difficulty buying a ticket for tonight's Champions League match "I didn't have problems getting one," he says director at a detective agency with links to poisoned dissident and his accused murderer Andrey Lugovoy Property tycoon Christian Candy’s key adviser was a director of a detective agency which made payments to the Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko and to the former KGB officer accused of murdering him Details of the transfers to alleged killer Andrey Lugovoy and to Litvinenko who died in 2006 after swallowing a radioactive substance called Polonium-210 Candy and his brother are defending charges that they used blackmail and intimidation to extort repayment of a loan The case against the billionaire property developers is being brought by their former business associate a founding director of Christian Candy’s property group was cross-examined on Thursday about his involvement with the London-based investigations agency RISC Management He was a director from the firm’s incorporation until 2013 Smith told of his close relationship with RISC chief executive Keith Hunter The detective had travelled to France and arranged protection for Smith and his family after a violent robbery jumped out of a first-floor window and broke his spine to escape attackers Smith explained how he had stood by Hunter after the private detective was arrested on suspicion of police bribery in 2012 He recalled RISC’s dealings with Litvinenko Smith had arrived at RISC’s offices for a directors’ meeting two days after the Russian had ingested poison while drinking tea at a London hotel The boardroom had been secured by police because traces of the substance had been left during Litvinenko’s visit “The whole of the upper floor was cordoned off with radioactive yellow and black paper everywhere,” said Smith “So obviously I asked the question: ‘Why is our boardroom radioactive?’ And they told me that Mr Litvinenko .. had visited the office on the day he was poisoned.” A British judge found last year that Lugovoy and another agent had poisoned Litvinenko it was revealed that RISC had made payments to Lugovoy and Litvinenko These included a £1,000 starter fee and a £7,500 transfer to a Cyprus bank account belonging to Lugovoy Smith said he was unaware of the payments at the time but agreed he knew the men had undertaken work for RISC Its clients included Boris Berezovsky and other oligarchs who had fallen out with Russia’s president “I did ask and they said he was there for a meeting and supplying information,” Smith told the court Mr Litvinenko was very much an anti-Putin individual and was quite high profile in anti-Putin circles.” who borrowed £12m from Christian Candy for a property deal alleges that in 2012 he was threatened during a phone call with Christian’s brother Nick is alleged to have said his brother would sell the loan to Russian debt collectors who “would not think twice” about “seriously fucking hurting you” Holyoake’s QC Roger Stewart sought to paint a picture of RISC as a firm with a questionable reputation RISC and another firm set up by one of its employees were hired for numerous jobs by CPC Group The firm made checks on all the potential purchasers at One Hyde Park the Candys’ flagship super-luxury development of about 80 apartments in London’s Knightsbridge district Former RISC managing director Cliff Knuckey was asked to serve court papers on one of the purchasers Knuckey was found to have impersonated a representative of the Saudi royal family an estate agent and a member of Vodafone customer services Christian Candy has also told the court he asked Knuckey for advice on who could help recover Holyoake’s debt the QC claimed: “The fact that you were prepared to use Mr Knuckey despite knowledge of his methods shows that you were not concerned whether he operated legally or illegally” were arrested in May 2012 on suspicion of police bribery Smith said he had decided to remain on the board of RISC following Hunter’s arrest an old friend who shared his passion for horse racing had flown to be by his side following the robbery at his home near Nice “I took the decision that I would stand by Keith,” Smith said he continued: “One very good reason was that when I needed some help a year previous by the time I came out of my operation which lasted some 13 hours Mr Hunter had got on a plane and flown to Nice and had already started working with the French police to secure the crime zone and indeed security for me in the hospital At the time we had no comprehension for why this had happened and indeed the severity of the attack Christian Candy told the court that Smith flung himself out of the first-floor window of his holiday home and into a ravine to escape robbers Stewart claimed that Smith was aware CPC was planning to use “illegitimate debt collectors” to retrieve the money “You were aware that what was in fact being contemplated was individuals introduced by Mr Knuckey and you were also aware that Mr Knuckey had behaved improperly .. In those circumstances the involvement of Mr Knuckey strongly suggests that no legitimate purpose was being contemplated at this time.” Candy says that his firm eventually decided not to appoint collectors for Holyoake’s debt Widow’s QC says award of medal is ‘clearest possible message’ that Vladimir Putin stands with man suspected of poisoning dissident Vladimir Putin’s decision to give a state honour to Andrei Lugovoi, the man accused of murdering the Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko is a deliberate provocation apparently aimed at the UK the inquiry into Litvinenko’s death has heard the Russian president granted Lugovoi a medal for “services to the motherland” Over the past three weeks the inquiry has heard damning evidence which suggests Lugovoi smuggled polonium to Britain three times poisoning Litvinenko in November 2006 during a meeting with him at a Mayfair hotel said the timing of Putin’s decision was no coincidence on day 22 of the inquiry and after “a substantial amount of evidence has been called establishing Lugovoi’s involvement in the murder” He added: “[It] is clearly both a provocation from president Putin and the clearest possible message he identifies himself with Mr Lugovoi.” was ostensibly given for Lugovoi’s services to the Duma Lugovoi became a deputy for the ultra-nationalist pro-Kremlin Liberal Democrat party Lugovoi is deputy head of the state Duma committee on security and countering corruption This is the the second time the Kremlin has seemingly responded to events in London and to the welter of evidence suggesting Litvinenko’s murder was a state-sponsored assassination Emmerson called Putin “a common criminal dressed up as a head of state” and said Russia’s president presided over a “mafia state” The next day Russia dispatched a Tupolev Tu-95 Bear Bomber to buzz the UK’s south coast They were scrambled again last month when two more Russian bombers flew towards Cornwall prompting David Cameron to say that Moscow was trying to make “some sort of point” The inquiry has already heard that Lugovoi and another Russian left a trail of radioactive polonium all across London the inquiry heard that detectives who flew to Moscow in December 2006 to interview both suspects faced numerous obstacles from the Russian side The detectives from the counter-terrorism command of the Metropolitan police arrived in Russia on 4 December 2006 Litvinenko had died in hospital 11 days previously said he met top Russian officials including Russia’s vice-general prosecutor The officials repeatedly sought to frustrate their investigation They refused to allow the detectives to make their own tape recordings of interviews and insisted all questions be submitted to them in advance Only one Met detective was allowed to be present for the questioning with others forced to hang around outside in a car park Russian officials escorted the detectives in a convoy to clinical hospital number 6 was then told he could only speak to Kovtun for half an hour He donned “protective clothing” before the meeting adding that there was no sign his hair had fallen out At the close of the interview Lugovoi said in English: “Good bye The detectives flew home from Moscow after two difficult weeks taking with them witness statements and some tape recordings did not produce the tape recording from the Lugovoi interview They explained that their recording equipment had not worked The Russian dissident was murdered in London with polonium In an extract from his book A Very Expensive Poison Luke Harding traces the toxic trail the clueless assassins spread around the capital Their names were Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun; the date was 16 October 2006 They had arrived that morning from Moscow carrying something that British customs failed to detect The substance was polonium, a highly radioactive isotope. It is probably the most toxic poison known to man when swallowed or inhaled – more than 100bn times more deadly than hydrogen cyanide. It had come from a Russian nuclear reactor. The job of Lugovoi and Kovtun was to deploy it. They had come to poison Alexander Litvinenko The visiting killers had no personal grudge against their target They had been sent by Russia’s FSB spy agency in an operation likely to have been approved by Russia’s president Scotland Yard has never established how the assassins transported the polonium The amounts were very small and easy to disguise There are several possibilities: a container with the poison administered by a pipette-style dropper Even a modified fountain pen would do the trick Nobody in Moscow appears to have told them Po-210 had intensely radioactive properties Or that it left a trace – placing them in specific locations and indicating It was possible to identify anything and everything these clueless assassins touched That morning – at 11.49 – Lugovoi called Litvinenko from Gatwick airport to confirm their meeting that afternoon at the intelligence firm Erinys in Grosvenor Street Litvinenko thought this was a routine meeting Lugovoi had offered himself as Litvinenko’s business partner giving advice to western firms seeking to invest in Russia The killers travelled by train to central London They checked into the Best Western hotel on Shaftesbury Avenue The first rule of spycraft is not to draw attention to yourself But from the moment they stepped on to UK soil It wasn’t just that they were assassins: they looked like assassins a couple of stage villains from KGB casting When the pair swapped their casual clothes for “business” attire their appearance prompted hotel staff to chuckle Kovtun was wearing a silvery metallic polyester-type suit and Lugovoi was kitted out in checks They had matched their shiny outfits with colourful shirts and ties the two men resembled stereotypical eastern European gangsters the suits were either too big or too small They just didn’t look like people who are used to wearing suits They looked like – I think the expression is: like a donkey with a saddle.” Litvinenko met Lugovoi and Kovtun in Grosvenor Street the Russian-speaking head of Erinys; he shook their hands and led them into the boardroom Alexander Litvinenko Photograph: Alistair Fuller/APThe meeting began in typically English style Then Lugovoi steered the conversation round to tea joking that the English had cups of tea all the time Reilly declined and told them he had just drunk water from the cooler “They kept on saying to me – don’t you want any [tea] Reilly served cups of tea to his three guests who was at the head of the table with his back facing the bay window; immediately across the table from Reilly was Lugovoi Reilly – fortuitously for the would-be assassins – went to the loo We don’t know how the polonium was deployed The forensic evidence suggests that either Lugovoi or Kovtun slipped it into Litvinenko’s tea a little to his left – an invisible nuclear murder weapon primed to go off Lugovoi and Kovtun must have been barely listening to the conversation: for them One can only imagine what must have been going through Lugovoi’s and Kovtun’s minds when the meeting broke up When nuclear scientists examined the Erinys table it was “heaving” with radioactive contamination It appeared there had been substantial spillage One spot in front of where Litvinenko had been sitting showed exceptionally high alpha-radiation readings of more than 10,000 counts a second Scientists later identified the scene as one of “primary contamination” That meant the radiation could only have come from deployed polonium Other parts of the baize had readings of 2,300 counts a second One chair – where either Lugovoi or Kovtun had been sitting – registered at 7,000 counts a second The Russians would later claim that it was Litvinenko who had poisoned them their first significant encounter in Mayfair could be explained by this initial radioactive contact It was a version they would repeat to Russian state media This version was easily disproved when Scotland Yard reconstructed Litvinenko’s journey from his home to Green Park using his Oyster card then taking the tube into central London from Highgate station The bus – vehicle registration LR02 BCX – was found and tested for contamination left a lurid nuclear stain wherever they went well before their first meeting with Litvinenko Litvinenko took the pair to his favourite branch of Itsu in Piccadilly Circus The visitors took their leave of Litvinenko Lugovoi claimed that he and Kovtun strolled around Soho for an hour and a half where Lugovoi smoked a £9 shisa pipe on the terrace It was easy to spot: the handle gave off a ghostly alpha-radiation glow His vomiting spasm was due to exposure to radiation – just from being near the poison He had unwittingly survived his first encounter with polonium the would-be killers returned to the Best Western hotel Lugovoi handled polonium in the privacy of his room He appears to have transferred it here from one container to another And to have disposed of it down the bathroom sink We know this because Lugovoi’s plughole showed massive alpha-radiation readings of 1,500 counts a second There were lower readings elsewhere in the bathroom Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun speak to Ekho Moskvy radio in November 2006 Photograph: ReutersThe two Russians had booked into the Best Western for two nights they abruptly checked out and took a taxi to the Parkes hotel in Beaufort Gardens Lugovoi explained the switch by saying he “didn’t like the condition of the rooms” which he had efficiently tipped down the bathroom U-bend Front office manager Giuliana Rondini was on duty when the Russians walked in Was there somewhere fun where he and Kovtun “might meet some girls” Rondini was used to dealing tactfully with these kinds of inquiries “It was a place where you could go and have a pizza but also have fun and pick up girls Lugovoi rang Litvinenko to say that he was missing out on fun times He said that he and Kovtun had hired a rickshaw and that they were going on an hour-long joyride through central London – two off-duty assassins enjoying themselves amid the bright lights of Soho The driver recommended a private members’ place in Jermyn Street popular with big-spending Russians a club founded in 2005 by a former fruit-and-veg stall owner from Essex called Dave West There was a dancefloor and a Russian-themed restaurant The bordello theme extended to the bathrooms where water spouted from penis-shaped taps Lugovoi and Kovtun spent two hours at HeyJo Detectives later found traces of radiation in cubicle nine – on the backrest and cushions a table in the restaurant and on a door in the gents’ as they checked out for their flight back to Moscow His reply was uncharacteristically honest: “We were not lucky that night,” he told her Lugovoi’s conversations with his FSB bosses following his first unsuccessful attempt to poison Litvinenko can only be imagined bringing with him another container of radioactive poison He flew on 25 October from Moscow to London He arrived shortly after midnight at the Sheraton Park Lane with a frontage of black classical pillars Lugovoi met Litvinenko in the ground-floor Palm Court an afternoon tearoom furnished in high art-deco style Litvinenko produced two Orange SIM cards so that he and Lugovoi had a secure way of communicating Lugovoi ordered three glasses of red wine and a Cuban cigar Metropolitan Police’s 3D graphic showing polonium contamination on the green baize tablecloth in Grosvenor Square Photograph: Guardian graphics/Litvinenko InquiryFor unknown reasons Lugovoi failed to deploy the latest vial of polonium One possible explanation is that the Palm Court bar had video cameras Or perhaps he suspected he was being watched Did the British have him under surveillance (The answer was no.) It’s possible he had got fresh orders from Moscow This left him with a problem: what to do with the poison he tipped the polonium down the bathroom sink again this time mopping it up with a couple of towels And he appeared to have dumped the container in the white pedal bin next to the lavatory When scientists later tested Lugovoi’s hotel room they walked into a scene from an atomic horror story The door to Lugovoi’s room was highly contaminated It showed a reading of more than 30,000 counts a second The situation in the bathroom was even worse The inside of the pedal bin registered what scientists called “full-scale deflection” There was radiation everywhere: on the wall under the sink plus another massive result from the bathroom door The two scientists wearing protective gear gazed at their instruments incredulously detectives located the towels that Lugovoi had chucked away They had ended up stuck in a laundry chute in the hotel’s basement A 3ft by 3ft metal service tube ran the full height of the building At its bottom was a mountain of unwashed sheets and towels Lugovoi’s bath towel was found in a green laundry bag on a shelf His hand towel was discovered at the base of the chute The levels of radiation were so alarming that the towels were sent to the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston The bath towel gave a reading of 6,000 counts a second The initial reading came in as full-scale deflection it yielded an astonishing result: in excess of 17m becquerels per sq cm the equivalent of 10m–30m becquerels absorbed into an adult male’s blood would be likely to be fatal within one month The towel was the single most radioactive object recovered by Scotland Yard during its decade-long inquiry into Litvinenko’s murder Probably the most radioactive towel in history Extracted from A Very Expensive Poison by Luke Harding (Guardian Faber £12.99). Buy a copy now for £7.99, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846 One of two Russians accused of murdering ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive poison in London in 2006 was given a final chance on Monday to give evidence to a British public inquiry into the death British authorities say there is evidence to prove Dmitry Kovtun poisoned Kremlin critic Litvinenko with green tea laced with polonium-210 at the Millennium Hotel in central London Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his killing and Robert Owen the chairman overseeing the British inquiry has said there was a "prima facie case" indicating Russian involvement changed his mind and asked to appear before the inquiry He was due to start giving evidence by video link on Monday last week he said he had received legal advice that he was bound by an obligation of confidentiality to an ongoing Russian investigation into the death and that if he appeared without the permission of the Russian authorities he would be committing an offense The inquiry was told on Monday Kovtun had said he had been unable to get that permission Chairman Owen said the late intervention gave rise to the "gravest suspicion" that Kovtun was attempting to manipulate the situation to give the appearance he was willing to cooperate He said he would "reluctantly" give Kovtun a deadline of Tuesday at 9 a.m said "It appears that these proceedings are being manipulated in a coordinated way between Mr Kovtun and the Russian state that sent him to commit the murder - a continuation of a collaboration that began in 2006." while in Germany a month before Litvinenko was poisoned Kovtun had told a witness he needed a cook to put an expensive poison into the ex-spy's food or drink Kovtun himself told a news conference in April that Litvinenko whose death helped drag relations between Moscow and London to new post-Cold War lows might have killed himself accidentally while handling polonium The public inquiry is due to issue its report into the death by the end of the year THE Russian agent wanted for the murder of Alex­ander Litvinenko has advanced cancer linked to the radioactive poison used in the attack Investigators believe Vladimir Putin henchman Andrey Lugovoy’s tumour “is related to” the polonium-210 with which he laced the former KGB man’s tea in London was identified after geiger counter checks showed a trail of radiation across Europe and on his flight back to Moscow British police are convinced he murdered anti-Putin dissident Litvinenko in 2006 on orders from the Kremlin but Russia has refused to extradite him to face trial Dmitry Kovtun, his co-accused in the Millennium Hotel poisoning, died last year at 56 Leaked emails and health records have surfaced in Moscow showing hardliner Lugovoy, an MP and rabid supporter of the Ukraine war, has prostate cancer They were hacked by Ukrainian cyber resistance group Inform-Napalm It adds: “The patient prefers the tactics of active observation.” Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, which cited the Inform-Napalm findings, said: “Investigators believe that the disease is related to Litvinenko’s poisoning, because even small doses of polonium-210 can cause malignant tumours.” Lugovoy said in May his email account had been hacked by Ukrainians who also accessed the account of his singer wife Ksenia Lugovaya, 34. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ El cometa Leonard y la lluvia de meteoritos de las Úrsidas tendrán lugar en la noche más larga del año Russian agent Dmitry Kovtun, who was accused by the U.K. authorities in the poisoning death of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 Russian lawmaker Andrei Lugovoi, who also was accused by the U.K. in the spy's killing, announced Kovtun’s death on his messaging app channel. Lugovoi said that Kovtun died Saturday of a COVID-19-induced illness. Russian news reports said he died at a hospital in Moscow. A British inquiry concluded that Kovtun and Lugovoi had killed Litvinenko and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “probably approved” the operation. The European Court of Human Rights backed the British conclusion. The Kremlin has fiercely denied any involvement. Kovtun and Lugovoi also denied playing any role in Litvinenko’s death. A former agent for the KGB and its post-Soviet successor agency FSB, Litvinenko defected from Russia in 2000 and fled to London. He became involved in exposing corruption and links to organized crime in the Russian intelligence service. He fell violently ill in November 2006 after drinking tea with two Russian men in a London hotel and died three weeks later. His tea was found to have been laced with radioactive polonium-210. Andrei Lugovoy said he had 'lost all faith in the opportunity of an unbiased investigation in Britain' A former KGB officer suspected of murdering Alexander Litvinenko has announced he will not take part in the coroner’s inquest due to take place later this year and attacked the British police and courts as “politically motivated”. Andrei Lugovoy, now a politician in Russia, told a hastily assembled press conference that he had lost faith in British justice and said he would take no further steps to clear his name. It emerged last year that at the time of his death in 2006, after being poisoned with radioactive polonium, Mr Litvinenko had been a paid agent for MI6 and was dealt with by a handler known as “Martin”. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has asked for unspecified evidence relating to the case to be heard in secret for national security reasons. The move has been opposed by Mr Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, but last month the coroner, Sir Robert Owen, ruled that he would hold a hearing behind closed doors to see the Government’s evidence. The inquest is due to formally open on 1 May. Russia has refused to extradite Mr Lugovoy, who is wanted by the Metropolitan Police in connection with the killing of Mr Litvinenko, who died after an agonising ordeal in hospital. Doctors diagnosed his condition as polonium poisoning just before he died. Mr Lugovoy said: “I lost all faith in the opportunity of an unbiased investigation in Britain. It’s not clear how I can defend myself and oppose arguments that are not going to be made public. Who will evaluate the truthfulness of secret facts?” During the press conference, he held up a Scotland Yard report to the coroner, which he said had been provided to him by British authorities under a non-disclosure agreement. He said the few facts contained in the report proved his version of events, claiming it established that the polonium trail led from London back to Moscow, rather than the other way round. He said the rest was a mix of “politically motivated rumours and gossip” designed to smear him and Russia. “I read this document and was absolutely horrified, not because it has any facts or proof against me, but because it has so much nonsense in it,” Mr Lugovoy said. “It became clear to me why London police never presented a single piece of evidence of my guilt; this evidence is nonexistent.” Mr Lugovoy, who met Mr Litvinenko three times in London prior to his death, has always denied involvement in the murder. After the scandal he won a place in parliament, which guarantees him immunity from prosecution in Russia. Today he again denied all involvement and put the blame on Boris Berezovsky, an exiled oligarch who lives in London and was close to Mr Litvinenko. “All the Ramon Mercarders died out in Stalin’s time,” said Mr Lugovoy, referencing the assassin sent by Moscow to kill Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940. “And Litvinenko was no Trotsky either. He wasn’t a person of the scale that secret services would send assassins around the world after him with ice-picks in their hands.” The polonium trail and its alpha radiation signature allowed them to trace the movements of Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun through hotels offices and restaurants on their three visits to London in the autumn of 2006 big questions remain about the provision of the polonium-210 not least of which is whether the Russians were given it in London Moscow had refused British detectives permission to examine the Russian aircraft in which Lugovoy and Kovtun first flew to London which meant Sir Robert Owen could not exclude the possibility that they had obtained the polonium-210 “from some source in London” after arriving at Gatwick on October 16 That was the first of three visits that Lugovoy made in the space of three weeks Kovtun accompanied him on the first and the third when The premise of the trips had been business accompanied Litvinenko to a series of meetings with private security companies based in the capital they were assisting Litvinenko in his investigations into various dubious individuals and companies connected with Russia They had a meeting with the directors of the private security company Erinys Substantial contamination was found on chairs and on the green baize covering the boardroom table Sir Robert found that this was the first assassination attempt The three then dined at the Itsu restaurant in Piccadilly before Litvinenko went home to Muswell Hill Then he vomited and for the next two days felt unwell Lugovoy and Kovtun visited the Pescatori restaurant and had a shisha pipe at Dar Marrakesh before returning to the Best Western hotel the evidence suggested — due to substantial contamination in the u-bend — that they had either poured the polonium-210 down the plughole or had used the sink to prepare the solution Lugovoy returned a week later and had a series of meetings with Litvinenko there was substantial contamination of two towels with polonium-210 The inquiry had been told this was “consistent with an accidental spillage perhaps followed by an attempt to clean up and/or dispose of the solution” Sir Robert said there was no evidence that Lugovoy had attempted to poison Litvinenko during this visit adding that the evidence was “consistent with Lugovoy having spilled the polonium-210 in the course of handling it and then mopping it up with the towels that were subsequently found in the laundry” The inquiry also heard that it had been difficult to establish whether the towels had been washed in between October and January when they were tested Sir Robert added that during this stay Lugovoy had added Kovtun to his travelling party for his next visit to London to watch CSKA Moscow play Arsenal a few days later Sir Robert said this was possibly because Lugovoy realised he “would need Mr Kovtun’s assistance on the next attempt to poison Mr Litvinenko” The action had then briefly switched to Hamburg where Kovtun attempted to enlist an Albanian chef “to put poison in Litvinenko’s food or drink” The two Russians then returned to Britain on October 31 for what they hoped would be the endgame while his family went on a Big Bus tour of the capital Lugovoy and Kovtun are thought to have had a couple of business meetings in the early afternoon Litvinenko visited the Russian market in Piccadilly and met Mario Scaramella a business contact who also investigated alleged corruption in Russia He then walked to the Millennium hotel’s Pine Bar where Lugovoy and Kovtun were waiting This was when a white porcelain teapot filled with green tea — with some lemon and honey on the side — became the vehicle for what has become one of Britain’s most notorious murders Sir Robert said there had been many accounts of the scenario over the year was that after Litvinenko had drunk the tea Lugovoy had encouraged his 8-year-old son Igor to shake his hand Sir Robert said that this tended to indicate that the two Russians did “not know what they were handling” He said that this “explains why it was splashed around in hotel bathrooms and mopped up with hotel towels that were then left in the hotel It explains why Mr Kovtun and Mr Lugovoy allowed their families to be contaminated” He also referred to Litvinenko’s comments — made after the Pine Bar meeting when he was dying — that he did not believe Lugovoy and Kovtun were responsible Sir Robert referred to this as Litvinenko’s “wounded professional pride” because he had not identified his enemy He had allowed himself to be killed by drinking a cup of tea His killers went for a steak before Lugovoy took his family to the Emirates stadium to watch the CSKA Moscow match Litvinenko had told Lugovoy over the phone that he was ill The next day the Russians returned to Moscow Anna Politkovskaya Investigative journalist and human rights activist who was a friend of Litvinenko Sergei Yushenkov Co-founded the opposition Liberal Russia party with late businessman Boris Berezovsky Vladimir Golovlev Another founder of the Liberal Russia party Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev Former Chechen vice president Lecha Islamov Chechen guerrilla commander who died in April 2004 at Lefortovo prison Told relatives his jailers had summoned him several days before his death and given him a snack and tea Suffered symptoms “inexplicable” to doctors Roman Tsepov Former confidant to President Putin Allegedly killed by radiation poisoning in 2004 Yuri Shchekochikhin Journalist who died of apparent poisoning in 2003 15 Mar 2018THIS is the daughter of Nikolai Glushkov who reportedly found the body of her Putin critic dad at his home in London Natalia Glushkova discovered evidence of “strangulation”of the Russian exile with cops confirming they were investigating the "unexplained" death of the 68-year-old Glushkov's cause of death hasn't been confirmed but anti-terror cops are leading the investigation as a "precaution" due to the "associations" he was believed to have had Today, Russian media Kommersant claimed Glushkov - who had links to Alexander Litvinenko's polonium “killer” Andrey Lugovoy -  had “no guard, no servants”. “Allegedly, his daughter who came to visit discovered traces of strangulation on her father's body,” reported the newspaper, owned by Arsenal shareholder and pro-Vladimir Putin oligarch, Alisher Usmanov. “However, Kommersant sources could not explain whether it was outwardly similar to suicide, premeditated murder or an accident.” Russian dissident tycoon and former Kremlin powerbroker Boris Berezovsky - exiled Glushkov’s close friend - was found by police to have strangled himself five years ago at his home in Sunninghill, Berkshire, but later a coroner issued an open verdict on his death. Little is known about Glushkov’s daughter, believed to be in her late 30s, but she graduated  from  Moscow State University, Department of Sociology, specialising in Mass Communication, Advertising and PR. She studied for an MA at University of Westminster, it was reported. She was listed as the co-owner of a “luxury lifestyle gentlemen’s club boutique” in Baku - capital of Azerbaijan - offering “top quality male accessories and bespoke services from carefully selected brands”. The shop, now closed, was described as “an exclusive destination for diverse luxury brands with outstanding heritage, craftsmanship and brand philosophy that are not represented in the local market. “The interior design of the shop and its branding have been created in accordance with the idea of a sacred hidden gem for the male client. “It is a destination store where people can purchase something for themselves or as a gift while being respected, carefully looked after and pampered.” A Glushov family friend said: “I know that his wife Lyudmila and son live in Moscow, and a daughter lived in London. “And even in Moscow he was already registered as 1 group of disability (the most serious). “It's total rubbish these rumours about his non-traditional sexual orientation, and same about AIDS. “He was a good family man, he loved children. “His relatives don't believe that this was violent death. “I know that his daughter was telling her mother recently on the phone, that her Dad was feeling really sick.” The friend added: “I know that he suffered badly in Russian jail because of his illness. “He was an incredibly intelligent man, writing books even in jail It's not clear where he will be buried, family members are on phone to each other deciding it now.” Separately it is known that Glushkov was the reason that Andrey Lugovoy - later identified as the killer of Putin foe Alexander Litvinenko in London - served a 14 month jail sentence in Russia. This extraordinary link dating back to 2001 adds sinister intrigue to the latest mysterious Russian death in Britain. Glushkov had been jailed for defrauding Aeroflot. Lugovoy was head of a security for a TV station partly owned by  Berezovsky, close associate of Glushkov. Apparently acting for Berezovsky, ex-FSB man Lugovoy attempted to spring Glushkov from jail during a hospital visit. His audacious scheme was foiled, and was imprisoned for  14 months. But Glushkov always suspected Lugovoy was conniving with the FSB, and believed the escape ploy may even have been a bid to keep him behind bars longer. Lugovoy’s jail term was subsequently - and mysteriously -  cut short, and as soon as he was freed he started a major business empire including a security firm, which would make him a millionaire. Critics have questioned where the money came from. There were claims that he may have owed the FSB, and that the poisoning of Litvinenko’s tea with a radioactive cocktail could have been part of his payback. When Glushov was released in 2004 he quizzed Lugovoy over what happened. "He didn't explain one or the other.” Lugovoy denied the meeting happened and said he was “shocked” Berezovsky said later that he had a “strange impression” that Lugovoy had been turned during the Glushov jail saga which is actually an ultra-nationalist outfit that toes the Kremlin line in the State Duma acting as an adviser to a spy film called Extrajudicial and presenting his own television series about Soviet citizens who betrayed the motherland Russia’s government made clear from the beginning that it would not satisfy Britain’s request and hand over the MP or his friend Dmitry Kovtun the judge who led the public inquiry into the murder concluded yesterday that President Putin “probably” approved Mr Litvinenko’s killing Mr Putin awarded him with a state medal “for services to the fatherland” that cited his “contribution to developing Russia’s parliament” As an MP he has initiated laws to help block “extremist” websites that call for anti-Kremlin protests and to criminalise the failure of Russians with dual citizenship to declare their foreign passports Mr Lugovoy’s flamboyant side is often on show The former owner of a soft drink company and a security business plays football and dresses in powder-blue or pinstripe suits the exact nature of his affairs is unclear it emerged that he was the founder and general director of a company called Dzhirsa He said he had set it up on behalf of friends who were “former [military] officers who help resolve business disputes” Mr Kovtun lived in a modest apartment block in the south of Moscow not far from the headquarters of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service The British government has responded by protesting to the Russian ambassador and freezing the assets of the two Russians accused of actually carrying out the murder think the government needs to take a much tougher line Or would it be a mistake for Britain’s to up the ante in confronting President Putin Alexander Litvinenko was a former member of the Russian secret service he had been ordered to kill the Russian oligarch Litvinenko refused and started to blow the whistle on his old employers and on Mr Putin in particular After fleeing to London with his wife and infant son in 2000 of being involved with Colombian drug barons and of coming to power by using the FSB to plant a bomb in a Moscow apartment block He accused President Putin of being behind the murder of the investigative journalist In November 2006 he died an agonising death after being poisoned by a cup of green tea laced with radioactive polonium-210 in a London hotel The two Russians with whom he had had tea that day were Andrei Lugovoy They were accused of killing him by lacing the tea with the poison Traces of it were found in their hotel rooms and other places they had passed through called for a public inquiry into his death so that secret government intelligence which could not be revealed in an open coroner’s court The inquiry was set up in 2014 with Sir Robert at its head Sir Robert concluded that there was a ‘strong probability’ that the FSB was behind the murder and that ‘probably’ it had been authorised by President Putin He cited as motives the fact that Mr Litvinenko had been such a public critic of both the FSB and Putin himself and that he had worked closely with Britain’s MI6 Russia had refused earlier requests for Kovtun and Lugovoy to be extradited to stand trial in Britain and Lugovoy had subsequently been elected to the Russian parliament and awarded a state medal last year Sir Robert said that the Russian president had ‘supported and protected Mr Lugovoy’ in a way that ‘suggests a level of approval for the killing’ He added that the Russian state under President Putin was probably responsible for seven other murders of critics of the regime in the period before Mr Litvinenko’s death Russian response to the Owen report has been scornful He said: ‘But you can probably put that down to subtle British humour when an open public inquiry hangs on classified information from unnamed intelligence services and is based on prolific use of the words “possibly” and “probably”.’ Messrs Lugovoy and Kovtun have long denied any involvement in the murder They claim it was the work of British intelligence She said the assets of Lugovoy and Kovtun in Britain would be seized and asked the director of public prosecutions to consider making fresh extradition requests for them from Russia Mr Lugovoy said the chances of his being extradited were nil he said: ‘The dog barks; the caravan moves on.’ called the murder ‘an unparalleled act of state-sponsored terrorism that must be met with a commensurate response’ He said there needed to be a ‘full review’ of Britain’s economic and cultural ties with Russia and suggested a possible boycott of the football World Cup She called for targeted economic sanctions and travel bans on named individuals and organisations and the immediate expulsion of all Russian intelligence officers in Britain A similar course of action was taken in 1971 when 105 Soviet intelligence officers were expelled overnight In each case Moscow reacted with tit-for-tat expulsions of its own They argue that realpolitik requires us to cooperate with President Putin rather than antagonise him In particular they say that Britain’s priority at the moment must be defeating ISIS and that this can be achieved only by working with the Russian government not even evidence suggesting President Putin was behind a murder in the British capital should distract the British government in pursuit of this end Mr Cameron seems to be heeding this advice After the publication of the inquiry report he said: ‘Do we have to go on having some sort of relationship with them [the Russian government] because we need a solution to the Syria crisis But we do it with clear eyes and a very cold heart.’ believe that we will pay a price if the British government does not take harsher action against the perpetrators of what it accepts is ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ on the streets of London Not only will the murderers of Alexander Litvinenko go unpunished but the Putin regime in Moscow will conclude that it can go on acting in this way with impunity it is a relatively small price to pay in order to go on working with a government whose assistance we so vitally need the more hostility there is between Russia and the west The pragmatic approach is to hold our noses and antagonise Moscow as little as possible – however unpalatable that might be featuring a diverse range of survey results From the latest political surveys to in-depth analysis Our senior political specialists apply their expertise to provide projections and keep you up to date Get intelligence from our ever-growing source of consumer data on 29 million+ registered panel members in 55+ markets Public Data Explore YouGov's freely accessible dataElections Discover Key Insights on the UK General Election 2024For Business Helping the world's most recognised brands media owners and agenciesSign in Sign up Public Data Explore YouGov's freely accessible data Discover our public data Elections Discover Key Insights on the UK General Election 2024 The most timely For Business Helping the world's most recognised brands media owners and agencies Get intelligence from our ever-growing source of consumer data on 29 million+ registered panel members in 55+ markets Printable version The report into the murder of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko concludes that the killing was ‘probably’ authorised by President Putin himself.The British government has responded by protesting to the Russian ambassador and freezing the assets of the two Russians accused of actually carrying out the murder The Russian government was involved in the murder of the former spy Alexander Litvinenko who was working for MI6 and Spanish secret services at the time of his death counsel to the inquest into Mr Litvinenko’s death said that assessments of confidential material submitted by the British government had “established a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko” died in November 2006 after he was poisoned with polonium-210 He had been drinking tea at the Millennium Hotel in London’s Grosvenor Square the former KGB contacts Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun After his death, relations between the UK and Russia plunged to a new low as the director of public prosecutions announced in May 2007 that it would seek to charge Mr Lugovoy with the murder. Russia refused a request for the suspect to be extradited to Britain Mr Lugovoy denied any involvement in the murder Camden Town Hall in London heard how Mr Litvinenko had been working for MI6 for a number of years and had been asked by the agency to work with the Spanish secret service who were investigating the Russian mafia shortly before his death Mr Emmerson said that Mr Litvinenko would regularly meet with an MI6 handler and was paid into a bank account he shared with his wife He had been due to travel to Spain with Mr Lugovoy shortly before his death to provide intelligence in an investigation into the Russian mafia’s links to the Kremlin and the Russian President representing Mr Litvinenko’s wife Marina said The investigation was looking at links between Russian political parties Mr Emmerson said that as Mr Litvinenko had been asked by MI6 to work with the Spanish secret service the inquest should consider whether “detailed risk assessments” were carried out He said the inquest should also consider whether MI6 failed in its duty to protect against a “real and immediate risk to life” But Mr Davies said that assessments of confidential material submitted by the British government had shown no evidence to suggest it was involved in the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko or that it failed to take necessary steps to protect him The evidence also ruled out the involvement of other parties Chechen-related groups and the Spanish mafia told the hearing he could “neither confirm nor deny” whether Mr Litvinenko was employed by British intelligence services Mrs Litvinenko said that she was pleased the alleged involvement of the Russian government in her husband’s murder would now be considered by the inquest “We’ve been saying this many times but this is the first time this question has been raised in court,” she said “I appreciate all that was done today and I’m looking forward to any decision which will be taken by the coroner after today’s hearing.” The Russian Federation has now indicated its wish to become an interested party in the inquest The inquest will be held before high court judge Sir Robert Owen who has been appointed assistant deputy coroner A former KGB agent turned Kremlin critic who blamed a "barbaric and ruthless" Russian President Vladimir Putin for his fatal poisoning had a toxic radioactive substance in his body In the statement dictated from his deathbed Alexander Litvinenko accused the Russian leader of having "no respect for life liberty or any civilized value." In his first public remarks on the allegations Putin said he deplored the former spy's death but called the statement a political provocation The Health Protection Agency said the radioactive element polonium-210 Polonium-210 occurs naturally and is present in the environment at very low concentrations but can represent a radiation hazard if ingested very small amount of polonium would need to be ingested to be fatal but that depends on how pure the polonium is," said Dr a radiation protection adviser at the Royal Victoria Infirmary said that the high level indicated Litvinenko "would either have to have eaten it inhaled it or taken it in through a wound." Home Secretary John Reid said Litvinenko's death Thursday night was "linked to the presence of a radioactive substance in his body." a vociferous critic of the Russian government suffered heart failure late Thursday after days in intensive care at London's University College Hospital battling a poison that had attacked his bone marrow and destroyed his immune system "You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed," Litvinenko said in the statement read by his friend and spokesman Alex Goldfarb The former spy said "the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate Goldfarb said Litvinenko had dictated the statement before he lost consciousness on Tuesday Litvinenko told police that he believed he had been poisoned on Nov and his immune and nervous systems were severely damaged CBS News Moscow Bureau Chief Beth Knobel reports that although he had been critical of Putin and his government Litvineko was not widely known until he fell ill the first with an unnamed Russian and Andrei Lugovoy a KGB colleague and bodyguard to former Russian Prime Minster Yegor Gaidar He also dined with Italian security expert Mario Scaramella to discuss the October murder of crusading journalist Anna Politkovskaya Scaramella said he showed Litvinenko an e-mail he received from a source naming Politkovskaya's killers and naming other targets including Litvinenko and himself Alexander called me and suggested that we had a meeting next time I was in London," Lugovoy said He told me he had some business proposals I could find interesting He told me that he had contacts with a number of British companies who were interested in getting access to the Russian market and who would like to get some consulting services in this connection with an eye to finding partners in Russia." Lugovoy said he was aware Litvinenko's reputation as a critic of the Russian government "I have always tried not to discuss anything but business with him And we would usually meet for no longer than an hour an hour-and-a-half each time I was in London where they were joined by Lugovoy's business partner Dmitry Kovtun as well as Lugovoy's wife and son joined the group Lugovoy said Litvinenko did not eat anything "Everyone says I met him before his meeting with the Italian This is not right – I met him after his meeting with the Italian."Litvinenko's father said his son "fought this regime and this regime got him." "It was an excruciating death and he was taking it as a real man," Walter Litvinenko said The Russian government has strongly denied involvement and Putin told reporters at a European Union summit Friday in Helsinki that British medical documents did not show "that it was a result of violence so there is no ground for speculations of this kind." Putin extended his condolences to Litvinenko's family "A death of a man is always a tragedy and I deplore this," Putin said Putin said the fact that Litvinenko's statement was released only after his death showed it was a "provocation." "It's extremely regrettable that such a tragic event as death is being used for political provocations," he said "I think our British colleagues realize the measure of their responsibility for security of citizens living on their territory I hope that they won't help fan political scandals which have no grounds." Putin said Russia "will offer all necessary help to the investigation." The hospital said Friday it could not comment further because the case was being investigated by police London's Metropolitan Police said it was treating the case as an "unexplained death" — but not Litvinenko's friends had little doubt about who was to blame had been on a quest to uncover corruption in Russia's Federal Security Service another trenchant critic of Putin's government Goldfarb said the attack on Litvinenko bore "all the hallmarks of a very professional "The very fact that experts are still at a loss to say what poisoned him tells you it is not a sleeping pill that has been given to him," he said said Litvinenko had told him: "The bastards got me He said Litvinenko believed he had been targeted by the Kremlin because he had threatened to uncover embarrassing facts they consider him an enemy — every week he was in Putin's face he was a tireless critic of Putin's regime .. He had a mission to uncover what he felt were crimes his former colleagues had committed," Nekrasov said Litvinenko worked for the KGB and its successor he publicly accused his superiors of ordering him to kill tycoon Boris Berezovsky and spent nine months in jail from 1999 on charges of abuse of office He was later acquitted and in 2000 sought asylum in Britain where Berezovsky is now also living in exile Traces of deadly polonium-210 forced the British embassy in Moscow into lockdown for several months following the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London Two men accused of killing Litvinenko visited the embassy in late 2006 where they denied poisoning his tea with the radioactive substance at a meeting in London Paul Knott, a former employee at the British embassy in Moscow, told the Sunday Mirror that the two accused men showed up uninvited at the building in November 2006 "We didn't know what they were coming in for They sort of just turned up to protest their innocence and were granted an audience," he said the pair had their phones confiscated before meeting the deputy ambassador and another member of embassy staff after the Met Police confirmed that a trail of radiation had been traced throughout London following Litvinenko's poisoning that similar tests were carried out at the embassy "There was radiation on the chairs where they'd sat where they'd put their hands on the table," Knott said where he'd left it in a little slot in the security officer's room We had to preserve the evidence and make sure it wasn't dangerous," he added After the tests the room was sealed off for at least a month with a select group of embassy officials and staff pretending to have lost the key to the room while working out how to approach the situation After office hours teams of radiation experts were smuggled into the building to treat the room comparing the situation to "something out of Ghostbusters" The news comes after a British inquiry found that Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely to have approved of Litvinenko's killing, ruling that Lugovoi and Kovtun "probably" poisoned the former spy's tea during a meeting at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair Tim Reilly says police told him he may have been an intended target rather than accidentally poisoned by attempt on Russian dissident Police warned a British businessman that he may have been an additional intended target of the men accused of murdering Alexander Litvinenko the inquiry into the Russian’s death has heard a specialist in the Russian energy industry told the inquiry into Litvinenko’s death that he had suffered an episode of severe and still unexplained illness shortly before the Russian died Forensic tests after Litvinenko’s death showed that the businessman’s workplace and car had been contaminated by polonium-210 the radioactive substance used in the killing The four men met on a number of occasions during the summer and autumn of 2006 in the Erinys boardroom in central London Litvinenko had vomited violently but recovered in what police believe was an early attempt on his life Lugovoi and Kovtun are accused of administering a second fatal dose of the deadly radioactive isotope during a meeting with Litvinenko at a London hotel on 1 November Forensic testing after his death later found “substantial” radioactive contamination in the Erinys boardroom while Reilly was also found to have traces of polonium in his body as well as in his car Lugovoi and Kovtun encouraged him to drink tea but he declined because it was a very hot day and he had already drunk a lot of water Though he could not remember the exact date at around the time that he had held a number of meetings with the men he had himself become extremely ill with diarrhoea and “horrendous They were worse than anything I had ever had “I’ve never had an illness like it before and I’ve never had one since,” he said Shortly after the Russian dissident’s death police officers told him “that they were not entirely convinced that I was not also an intended target said that he had met Litvinenko through the Russian’s work for an associated corporate intelligence company that shared the Erinys office space very good work” for the company in providing detailed intelligence reports on Russian businesses and individuals that Reilly said he immediately recognised as having been compiled for the Russian security service that “this guy clearly has a link into Moscow himself a former FSB officer who had fled the country after becoming a whistleblower then introduced him to Lugovoi in summer 2006 “He mentioned he had a friend from his time in Russia who was also ex-KGB who had contacts in the security world .. and that it would be useful perhaps to meet this guy who [might] be able to introduce me to the Russian oil and gas industry.” Describing Lugovoi as a “man about town” who dressed in a “nouveau riche” style Reilly said he and Litvinenko had seemed friendly and relaxed in each other’s company Lugovoi had offered to help broker a deal in which Erinys would provide security services to Gazprom It represents 45% of Russian GDP even today It is stuffed full of people that are trusted by the Soviet system and now by the Putin system It’s virtually untouchable and it’s a regime on its own.” The deal collapsed after Litvinenko’s murder but Reilly told the court that within days of his death Lugovoi had called him from the British embassy in Moscow and I don’t know why I’m being involved in it but I like Sasha [Litvinenko] and I’m as shocked as you are.’” Reilly told the inquiry that his career in Russia had been finished by his involvement in the events “As far as the Russian state was concerned,” he said representing the dead man’s widow Marina Litvinenko the police couldn’t discount [the possibility] that I was a target along with Sasha.” Though he had travelled to Russia “hundreds” of times before the killing he could not recall having been back since said the accusations against him were "absurd" the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying The inquiry into the 2006 killing in London concluded that President Vladimir Putin probably approved a Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Litvinenko It said his poisoners were former KGB bodyguard turned lawmaker Lugovoy and fellow Russian Dmitry Kovtun Homes and Property | Home Page Gordon Brown was plunged into the first diplomatic row of his premiership last night after Russia refused to extradite the key suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko Downing Street said it was "extremely disappointing" that Moscow had refused to extradite the former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoy to London for trial Foreign Office officials have also branded the decision as "unacceptable" because the use of radioactive material in the murder put hundreds of British citizens and tourists at risk Meanwhile Gordon Browns' spokesman said: "Russia's refusal to extradite Mr Lugovoy is extremely disappointing and we deeply regret that Russia has failed to show the necessary level of cooperation in this matter." He said said Britain was now considering further options British prosecutors confirmed Moscow had sent a formal refusal to extradite Lugovoy to face trial for the murder of Litvinenko Crown Prosecution Service said the allegations against Lugovoy were that "he committed this extraordinarily grave crime here in our capital city" a former officer in Russia's Federal Security Service fled to Britain and became a critic of President Vladimir Putin He died in a London hospital last November after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 Police found a trail of radiation matching Lugovoy's movements saying he believed Litvinenko had been killed by British intelligence The CPS said Russian authorities had said they were prepared to put Lugovoy on trial in Russia if the evidence was forwarded to them "The allegation against Mr Lugovoy is that he murdered a British citizen by deliberate poisoning," director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald said in a statement "The appropriate venue for his trial is therefore London." The foreign office spokesman also noted that "hundreds of British citizens and visitors to the capital were put at risk" by the alleged poisoning Litvinenko's murder has soured already difficult relations between London and Moscow In a statement read out by associates after his death Litvinenko accused Putin of having a hand in his murder The Kremlin dismissed the charge as nonsense and accused Britain of harbouring emigres bent on blackening Russia's name Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints Stacey Solomon 'regrets doing reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Stacey Solomon 'regrets reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Will StewartPublished: Invalid Date, THE Russian MP accused of poisoning Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210 has warned the Skripals their lives are in "severe danger" from British secret services. Andrey Lugovy spoke out as Russia questioned the authenticity of Yulia Skripal’s statement issued by Scotland Yard. Relatives also claim she has been “kidnapped” and forcibly prevented from speaking to them. Lugovy alleged the Skripals may have undergone a form of brainwashing in Britain to make them believe London’s version of events. Sergei and his daughter were left fighting for their lives after being poisoned with a Soviet-developed nerve agent in Salisbury - sparking a diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow. Lugovy - decorated with a top honour by Vladimir Putin but wanted in Britain over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 - said: "There is no doubt that they (Sergei and Yulia Skripal) are under some very strong influence.” He claimed on a prime time Russian TV show that “special work by psychologists could have been deployed” to make them believe the British version of events over the Salisbury poisoning. Lugovoy, 51, alleged British secret services “started this story” over the Salisbury poisoning to frame Russia. He said: “They will bring it to a conclusion. They will not stop at anything. “If they have to eliminate them again - properly this time - they will do it without any doubt.” Meanwhile, relative Viktoria Skripal, 45, hit back at at statement issued by Scotland Yard from Yulia Skripal, 33, which asked her cousin not to visit her or try to speak for her. She claimed Yulia “has been kidnapped” and might not be alive now without her campaign in Moscow to force the British to reveal her. Yulia was quoted as saying: “I thank my cousin Viktoria for her concern for us, but ask that she does not visit me or try to contact me for the time being. “Her opinions and assertions are not mine and they are not my father’s.” Viktoria hit back that if she had not launched her campaign to find out how her uncle Sergei Skripal and cousin were the world might never have heard from them again after the Salisbury incident. She said: “My actions saved them from oblivion. That I did not hide at home, or just sit it out. “God knows I did not want all this noise, and I am quite afraid now, very afraid." Viktoria's latest move has been a protest outside the British Embassy with a placard, where she claimed: “My cousin has been kidnapped - and is kept against her will." The Russian government today cast doubt on Yulia’s statement. The Russian embassy in London claimed: “We would like to make sure that the statement really belongs to Yulia “The text has been composed in a special way so as to support official statements made by British authorities and at the same time to exclude every possibility of Yulia’s contacts with the outer world - consuls Yulia has been discharged from hospital and is now recovering under armed protection was yesterday still in hospital but “making good progress” after the Novichok chemical attack in Salisbury A source said of Yulia: ‘’She is in hospital on a military base for her own protection and to monitor her health “The effects of this nerve gas are unknown and could resurrect themselves at any point.” It is hoped Yulia will now be able to provide clues to her would-be assassin he’s probably back in Moscow drinking vodka.” Sergei and Yulia underwent round-the-clock treatment at Salisbury District Hospital after collapsing on a park bench We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 The Sunday TimesThree days after he began running the investigation into the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko Detective Superintendent Clive Timmons got a phone call that changed everything 2006 the officer at the Metropolitan police was informed by Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment that a lethal dose of polonium-210 He had been given a dose of polonium “more than a million times” the amount needed to kill a man Until then doctors had been unable to determine the cause of his illness after he was admitted to Barnet Hospital in north London and The tariffs could also impact New Zealand's film industry and locations One of the suspects in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko sent a warning that "Nuclear Death Is Knocking Your Door" to a close ally of the Russian spy four years after his death a Russian politician and former Soviet spy was named in the highly anticipated report as being responsible for deliberately poisoning Litvinenko at a London hotel in 2010 with highly radioactive Polonium-210 possibly after being approved by president Vladimir Putin In 2010, Lugovoi was said to have given a T-shirt to a Russian man named Rafael Filinov to deliver as a gift to the London offices of Boris Berezovsky, a fellow Russian dissident and friend of Litvinenko. The T-shirt was delivered to Berezovsky by Filinov Berezovsky saw the T-shit read: "POLONIUM-210 CSKA LONDON with more writing on the back reading: "CSKA Moscow Nuclear Death Is Knocking Your Door" Author of the inquiry, Sir Robert Owen, discussed this incident in a section of the 300-plus page report examining the behaviour of Lugovoi and fellow murder suspect Dmitry Kovtun in the wake of Litvinenko's death The report states: "Taken on its own (and without, of course, the benefit of oral evidence from Mr Lugovoy), it would be difficult to know what to make of this T-shirt. On any view, it demonstrates that Mr Lugovoy approved of Mr Litvinenko's murder "Further than that, the T-shirt could be seen as an admission by Mr Lugovoy that he had poisoned Mr Litvinenko made at a time when he was confident that he would never be extradited from Russia and wished to taunt Mr Berezovsky with that fact be seen as an extraordinarily tasteless joke." and even awarded him with an honour for "services to the fatherland" during the inquiry Berezovsky was granted political asylum in the UK in 2003 following a well-publicised feud with Putin. He was found dead outside his London home in 2013 Britain yesterday made an official request to Russia to extradite the man suspected of killing ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 deepening a rift between the former Cold War foes British prosecutors said last week they wanted to bring Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoy before a British court to try him for the murder of Litvinenko who died on November 23 after being poisoned with the rare radioactive isotope "I this morning delivered the extradition papers to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the extradition of Mr Lugovoy," British Ambassador Anthony Brenton told reporters "We look for an early and positive response from the Russian authorities to the extradition request." an official with the Russian prosecutor general's office said: "We confirm this." met Litvinenko in a London hotel on November 1 The murder of Litvinenko with a highly unstable radioactive isotope in London aroused memories of Cold War espionage and has threatened to derail relations between Britain and Russia Moscow has refused to hand over Mr Lugovoy to Britain because Article 61 of the Russian constitution forbids the extradition of its citizens British officials argue that extradition arrangements exist with Russia since it signed up to the 1957 European Convention on Extradition in 2001 Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith said last week that Mr Lugovoy must face trial in Britain as Litvinenko was a British citizen and the poisoning took place on British soil "This is a very serious case: A murder has been committed in the United Kingdom A lot of other people were endangered in the course of that murder," Mr Brenton said A former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who obtained British citizenship Litvinenko said in a message read out after his death that the Kremlin was behind his poisoning The Kremlin has said those accusations are nonsense and senior officials say the Litvinenko affair has been used by President Vladimir Putin's enemies to damage Russia's image Russian prosecutors opened their own investigation into Litvinenko's death and what they said was the attempted murder of Dmitry Kovtun who along with Mr Lugovoy met Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square on November 1 Russia also sent detectives to London to interview Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky and Chechen rebel Ahmed Zakayev both friends of Litvinenko and both enemies of the Kremlin who used to work for the KGB's ninth directorate which protected the Soviet elite later worked as head of security for Mr Berezovsky Treated last year at a unit of a Moscow hospital that treated the victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster he has refused to say if he had polonium poisoning Since being named as the chief suspect for Litvinenko's murder Mr Lugovoy has given interviews to Russian television channels just a short walk from the British embassy please register for free or log in to your account.