Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably approved” the killing of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, a British inquiry into his agonising death by radiation poisoning has found.
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The White House isn’t ruling out future punitive action against Russia after a British judge concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably approved a plan to kill a former FSB security service agent who had become a Kremlin critic.
Russian Federation declined to co-operate throughout the inquiry and described Britain’s handling of the case as “opaque” and “biased”.
Russia’s ambassador to London says a British inquiry’s findings into Alexander Litvinenko’s death is a “provocation”.
– Owen concluded there is a “strong probability” the poisoning came under the direction of Russia’s FSB spy agency, and that the operation was probably approved by then-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev and by Putin.
“This willingness to flout basic conventions around human rights and free speech and the ability to speak out and make your political views known even if they are critical of sitting government is something that we have always been concerned about inside of Russia”, Earnest said.
“It was absolutely unacceptable that the report concludes that the Russian state was in any way involved in the death of Mr. Litvinenko”, Yakovenko said.
Fox News reports that Litvinenko turned on Putin, his former KGB colleague.
The death of Litvinenko marked a post-Cold War low point in Anglo-Russian relations and ties have never recovered, marred further by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“This was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of worldwide law and of civilised behaviour”, Ms May said.
“I’m very pleased that the words my husband spoke on his deathbed, when he accused Mr Putin of his murder, have been proved true in an English court”, she told reporters. The poison used in the killing – the radioactive isotope polonium-210 – is exceptionally toxic and posed a huge potential public health risk, after traces of it were left in multiple locations around London by the murderers.
British police have accused Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi of carrying out the killing, sponsored by elements in the Kremlin.
Both are wanted in the United Kingdom for questioning, but Russian Federation has refused to extradite them.
The FSB also had information Litvinenko had started working for Britain’s foreign intelligence agency, MI6.
“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”, Sir Robert wrote.
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.
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“I don’t believe a more disturbing report has ever been presented to this parliament”, Mr Burnham said.
