Vladimir Putin 'probably approved' assassination of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, UK court finds, but accused killer dismisses ruling as 'absurd'
Litvinenko was poisoned with ‘radioactive tea’ in 2006 and his widow Marina, who led a long campaign for an inquiry, called after the verdict for Britain to impose sanctions against Russia and for a travel ban on Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably approved” the killing of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, a British inquiry into his agonising death by radiation poisoning found on Thursday.
Litvinenko, a prominent Kremlin critic, was poisoned with radioactive tea at an upmarket London hotel in 2006.
Two Russians, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun, were identified by British police as prime suspects but attempts to extradite the pair have failed. The finding is likely to pile pressure on Britain to take steps against Russia in response, and Home Secretary Theresa May is due to outline the government reaction to parliament shortly.
“The FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr [Nikolai] Patrushev and also by President Putin,” the report said.
The FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr [Nikolai] Patrushev and also by President Putin
Patrushev is a former director of the FSB, the successor organisation to the Soviet-era KGB spy agency, and has been a key security minister since 2008.