UK judge to rule on Russian involvement in Litvinenko death

Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably” approved the killing of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, an inquiry in Britain concluded, triggering a row with Moscow.

Litvinenko was such a vocal critic of Putin that he published an article accusing Putin of pedophilia, Owen noted.

Sir Robert said: “I am satisfied that in general terms, members of the Putin administration, including the president himself and the FSB, had motives for taking action against Litvinenko, including killing him, in late 2006”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said what it called Britain’s politicized, biased and opaque handling of the Litvinenko case had clouded relations. A judicial report released indicates that Putin may have known a lot about the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Mr Lidington told Mr Yakovenko “the Russian State’s probable involvement in this murder was deeply disturbing, demonstrating a flagrant disregard for United Kingdom law, worldwide law and standards of conduct, and the safety of United Kingdom citizens”, a spokeswoman for the foreign office said.

Speaking in Davos, British Prime Minister David Cameron said “what happened was absolutely appalling” and Britain would be “toughening” up its reactions against Russia after the inquiry indicated Russian involvement in the death of Litvinenko.

Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was a Russian spy tackling organised crime, who died after being poisoned in a swanky London hotel.

Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive tea at an upmarket London hotel in 2006.

Litvinenko, a prominent Kremlin critic, died three weeks after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium at an upmarket London hotel in 2006.

The report had been delayed by several factors, from the complicated nature of the police investigation to frustrated attempts to question, and perhaps prosecute, the Russian men who are accused of carrying out the order.

“This was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of global law and of civilised behaviour”, Ms May said.

Litvinenko was a KGB officer who fled to the U.K.in 2000, after exposing corruption in Moscow’s security services.

From his deathbed, Litvinenko reportedly told detectives he believed Putin had directly ordered his killing.

– The judge notes that although he can not be sure that the poison that killed Litvinenko came from Russian Federation, it is clear that it had been manufactured in a nuclear reactor, suggesting that the suspects “were acting for a state body, rather than (say) a criminal organization”.

Responding to the report, Mr Lugovoi, who is now a politician in Russia, said the accusations against him were “absurd”, the Russian news agency Interfax was quoted as saying.

She also called for tougher action, urging Cameron to expel Russian intelligence agents operating in Britain and impose economic sanctions and travel bans on Putin and other officials linked to what her lawyer, Ben Emmerson, called an act of “terrorism on the streets of London”.

From his death bed, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his assassination.