Inquiry finds Putin "probably" approved murder of Alexander Litvinenko

An inquiry has found that the death of Alexander Litvinenko was “probably” approved by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Litvinenko Inquiry, chaired by Sir Robert Owen, has published its 328-page report into the murder of the ex-Russian spy in the UK in November 2006.

The report said there is “abundant evidence” that Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive isotope polonium 210 when he met Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun for tea at the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair.

He fell ill that day and died 23 days later.

“When Mr Lugovoy poisoned Mr Litvinenko, it is probable that he did so under the direction of the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service). I would add that I regard that as a strong probability,” the report said.

“The FSB operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev (Nikolai Partushev, head of the FSB) and also by President Putin.”

It also said there was “a personal dimension to the antagonism” between Litvinenko and Putin

“The history between the two men dated back to their (only) meeting in 1998, at a time when Mr Putin was the newly appointed head of the FSB and Mr Berezovsky and Mr Litvinenko still hoped that he might implement a programme of reform.

“In the years that followed, Mr Litvinenko made repeated highly personal attacks on President Putin, culminating in the allegation of paedophilia in July 2006.”

However, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the case has been politicised and “has spoiled the general atmosphere of bilateral relations”.

“The decision to suspend the coroner’s inquest and start ‘public hearings’ had clearly political underpinnings. The reason is clear as well: the proceedings, despite their name, are hardly transparent, neither for the Russian side nor the public, especially given the specifics of the closed inquiry and its ‘classified’ status.”

In a statement after Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to the UK’s Foreign Office over the report, the Russian Embassy said they will “never accept anything arrived at in secret and based on the evidence not tested in an open court of law”.

“We also noted that the British government suspended the coroner’s inquest which was open for public and media and where the Investigative Committee of Russia took part as an interested person, in favor of the public enquiry, which in fact is secret, at the height of political tension with Russia over Ukraine in July 2014.

“We view it as an attempt to put additional pressure on Russia in connection with existing differences over a number of international issues."