Andrey Lugovoy - Alexander Litvinenko Poisoning

Alexander Litvinenko Poisoning

Lugovoy met with Litvinenko on the day Litvinenko fell ill (November 1, 2006). Litvinenko died later in November from radiation poisoning caused by polonium-210, and on May 22, 2007 British officials charged Lugovoy with Litvinenko's murder, announcing they would seek his extradition from Russia. Russia declined to extradite Lugovoy, citing that extradition of citizens is not allowed under the Russian constitution. Russia said that they could take on the case themselves if Britain provided evidence against Lugovoy but that Britain has not handed over any evidence. The head of the investigating committee at the General Prosecutor's Office said Russia has not yet received any evidence from Britain on Lugovoy. "We have not received any evidence from London of Lugovoy's guilt, and those documents we have are full of blank spaces and contradictions." To the contrary, he became very popular in Russia as a "hero" of Litvinenko murder controversy, which skyrocketed his political career.

Lugovoy had visited London at least three times in the month before Litvinenko's death and met with him four times. Lugovoy met with Litvinenko on the day he fell ill (November 1). Traces of polonium-210 have been discovered in all three hotels where Lugovoy stayed after flying to London on October 16, in the Pescatori restaurant in Dover Street, Mayfair, where Lugovoy is understood to have dined before November 1, and aboard two aircraft on which he had travelled. He has declined to say whether he had been contaminated with polonium-210, the substance that led to Litvinenko's death on November 23, 2006.

Lugovoy accused British intelligence agents of being behind the killing, and claimed MI6 had tried to recruit him to spy on Russia. On October 27, 2007, the Daily Mail, citing unnamed "diplomatic and intelligence sources", stated that Litvinenko was paid about £2,000 per month by MI6 at the time of his murder.