Litvinenko, an ex-KGB agent turned freelance investigator who worked for British spy agency MI5, publicly accused Putin of ordering his killing before he died in agony three weeks later on November 23, 2006.
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Polonium-210 occurs naturally, but scientists say the high concentrations found in the Litvinenko case indicate production at a nuclear reactor, or perhaps a particle accelerator.
“It is absolutely inadmissible for us that the Russian state is suspected of links to Litvinenko’s death”, the Russian diplomat said. “It is in no sense business as usual” between the Britain and Russian Federation, she said, adding that the prime minister, David Cameron, would discuss the matter with Putin “at the next available opportunity”.
Among the many questions the inquest was directed to answer were these: “Possible involvement of Russian state agencies in Alexander Litvinenko’s death.” and “Possible involvement of United Kingdom intelligence agencies in Alexander Litvinenko’s death”.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the “quasi-investigation” would “further poison the atmosphere of our bilateral relations”.
“As we expected, there were no surprises”, he said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the Litvinenko investigation ceased being a criminal investigation and had transformed into a full-fledged political event a year ago.
Mrs May said: “This was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of worldwide law and civilised behaviour”.
The Kremlin also slammed the findings, calling it “clearly politically motivated”.
Both Mr Lugovoi and Mr Kovtun deny the allegations. “The results of the investigation that were announced today once again confirm London’s anti-Russian position and the blinkered view and unwillingness of the British to establish the true cause of Litvinenko’s death”.
The report says there was a strong likelihood they were acting on behalf of the FSB and Putin likely signed off on the action. Lugovoi is now a Russian member of parliament for the nationalist Liberal Democrat Party of Russia.
Patrushev is a former director of the FSB, the successor organisation to the Soviet-era KGB spy agency, and has been a key security official since 2008.
Mr. Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, whose persistence led to the inquiry being held, called for Russian spies to be kicked out of Britain and for sanctions against Russia.
– Owen said he is sure that Lugovoi and Kovtun placed polonium 210 in a teapot during that meeting with the intention of poisoning Litvinenko.
He said Litvinenko had “personally targeted President Putin himself with highly personal public criticism”, allied himself with Putin’s opponents and was believed to be working for British intelligence.
On his deathbed, he pointed the finger at Mr Putin – and named former colleagues Dmitri Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi as the men who poisoned him.
Litvinenko, a vocal critic of Putin, died after he was poisoned with polonium-210. He fled to Britain in 2000 before he was granted asylum in 2001 and became a British citizen in October 2006.
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Although the inquiry stops short of conclusively blaming Putin – citing the opaque nature of Kremlin politics – it concludes that there is “strong circumstantial evidence that the Russian State was responsible for Mr. Litvinenko’s death”.
