Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko
Litvinenko at University College Hospital
LocationLondon
Coordinates51°30′38″N 0°9′3″W / 51.51056°N 0.15083°W / 51.51056; -0.15083
Date1 November 2006
TargetAlexander Litvinenko
Attack type
Poisoning
WeaponPolonium-210
AccusedAndrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun[1][2]

Alexander Litvinenko was an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and its predecessor, the KGB, until he left the service and fled the country in late 2000.

In 1998, Litvinenko and several other Russian intelligence officers said they had been ordered to kill Boris Berezovsky, a Russian businessman.[3] After that, the Russian government began to persecute Litvinenko. He fled to the UK, where he criticised the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.[4] In exile, Litvinenko worked with British and Spanish intelligence, sharing information about the Russian mafia in Europe and its connections with the Russian government.[5]

On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko was poisoned and later hospitalised. He died on 23 November, becoming the first confirmed victim of lethal polonium-210-induced acute radiation syndrome.[3][6] Litvinenko's allegations about misdeeds of the FSB and his public deathbed accusations that Putin was behind his poisoning resulted in worldwide media coverage.

Subsequent investigations by British authorities into the circumstances of Litvinenko's death led to serious diplomatic difficulties between the British and Russian governments.[7] In September 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Russia was responsible for the assassination of Litvinenko and ordered Russia to pay Litvinenko's wife €100,000 in damages plus €22,500 in costs.[8]

The ECHR found beyond reasonable doubt that Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun killed Litvinenko. The Court's decision is in line with the findings of a 2016 UK inquiry.[1] The UK concluded that the murder was "probably approved by Mr. [Nikolai] Patrushev, then head of the FSB, and also by President Putin."[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ECHRGuardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Case of Carter v. Russia". European Court of Human Rights. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022. ... the Court rejects the Government's assertion that the perpetrator or perpetrators of the assassination have not been identified. In the light of the documentary and other evidence which the parties have submitted to it, the Court, having regard to the standard of proof which it habitually employs when ascertaining whether there is a basis in fact for an allegation of unlawful killing, namely proof "beyond reasonable doubt", finds it established that the assassination was carried out by Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun.
  3. ^ a b "Poison, spies and businessmen: The Litvinenko murder case 15 years on". Deutsche Welle. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  4. ^ "European Rights Court Rules Russia Responsible For Litvinenko Death". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 21 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harding2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Muslim was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Edwards, Jeff (8 January 2007). "We Know KGB Spy Poisoner". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  8. ^ Faulconbridge, Guy; Holden, Michael; Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle; Osborn, Andrew (21 September 2021). Holton, Kate (ed.). "Russia was behind Litvinenko assassination, European court finds". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  9. ^ Neuman, Scott (22 September 2021). "Russia Fatally Poisoned A Prominent Defector In London, A Court Concludes". NPR. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.