The spy’s widow: How Marina Litvinenko forced a spotlight on her husband’s killers
For nearly a decade, Marina Litvinenko has been trying to conclusively prove who killed her husband -- and why.
His death was like something out of a spy thriller. Alexander Litvinenko, an ex-KGB officer, was poisoned in 2006 after drinking a cup of tea laced with a radioactive substance. As he lay dying in a hospital in London, Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder. His killing attracted global attention.
On Thursday, a major British inquiry concluded that Putin “probably” ordered her husband’s death .
Getting there was a long, arduous journey, with Marina Litvinenko fighting tirelessly. At one point, she took the British government to court.
Two years ago, Marina won a legal battle in the high court after she challenged the British Home Secretary Theresa May’s refusal to hold a public inquiry. May had cited “international relations” as one of the factors in the decision not to go forward.
