Flight From Russia and Asylum in The United Kingdom
In October 2000, in violation of an order not to leave Moscow, Litvinenko and his family traveled to Turkey, possibly via the Ukraine. While in Turkey, Litvinenko applied for asylum at the United States Embassy in Ankara, but his application was denied. Henry Plater-Zyberk opined that the denial may have been based on possible American opinions that Litvinenko's knowledge was of little benefit and that he might create problems. With the help of Alexander Goldfarb, Litvinenko bought air tickets for the Istanbul-London-Moscow flight, and asked for political asylum at Heathrow Airport during the transit stop on 1 November 2000. Political asylum was granted on 14 May 2001, not because of his knowledge on intelligence matters, but rather on humanitarian grounds. While in London he became a journalist for the separatist Chechenpress and a controversial author. He also joined Berezovsky in campaigning against Putin's government. In October 2006 he became a naturalised British citizen with residence in Whitehaven.
Read more about this topic: Alexander Litvinenko
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