Alexander Litvinenko was the former Russian spy who was murdered via radiation poisoning in 2006. The ghostly image of him dying in hospital made headlines across the world.
Now a public inquiry into his death has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably” approved the killing of Litvinenko, due to “antagonism” between them. Understandably, suggesting that the Russian head of state was involved with a murder on British soil is not likely to help UK/ Russian relationships.
Litvinenko’s widow has praised the inquiry, calling for sanctions on Russia and a travel ban for Putin. The Russian Foreign Ministry has, as you would expect, criticised the announcement, saying: “We regret that the purely criminal case was politicised and overshadowed the general atmosphere of bilateral relations.”
[via BBC]
