Alexander Litvinenko news stories on Newser

Litvinenko Murder Suspect Halts Mayor Bid

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:16:23 CDT

The UK's top suspect in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko has quit the mayoral race in the Russian city set to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics, Reuters reports. “The leadership of the party took a final decision that my candidacy would not be put forward,” Andrei Lugovoy said, adding that...

Litvinenko Murder Suspect to Run for Mayor of Olympic City

Jason Farago — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:12:29 CDT

Russia fought hard to win the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, reports the Los Angeles Times , and now a second battle is heating up: the race for mayor of the Black Sea resort town, which is beginning billions' worth of construction. Among the contenders are a media magnate with a...

KGB Radiation Poisoning Suspect Ready to Talk

Rob Quinn — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:31:46 CST

A former KGB agent accused of poisoning a Russian dissident in England wants to clear his name, he tells the Times of London. Alexander Lugovoi has offered to send a friend to London to speak with investigators, and may travel to the UK himself if officials pledge not to arrest...

Brits: Russia Played Role in Ex-KGB Agent's London Murder

Rob Quinn — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:29:00 CDT

The murder of a former KGB agent in London 2 years ago was carried out with the support of the Russian government, British government sources have told the BBC. There are "very strong indications it was a state action," said one senior official. Alexander Litvinenko, who was mysteriously poisoned, was...

Murder Suspect Unrepentant in Moscow

Kevin Spak — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:15:34 CDT

To Britain, he’s a wanted man, a murderer responsible for a diplomatic crisis. To Russia, he’s a respected, successful politician. So it was an unrepentant Andrei Lugovoi who sat down with the Guardian ’s Luke Harding. The ex-KGB man insists he did not poison dissident Alexander Litvinenko by placing radioactive...

Litvinenko Wife Defies Brits, Demands Inquiry

Jason Farago — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:04:00 CDT

Alexander Litvinenko's widow calls for a public inquiry into the poisoning of the Russian spy in an op-ed for today's Times of London. Both the British foreign secretary and Scotland Yard have sought to dissuade her from petitioning for an inquest, saying it would prejudge a criminal trial against chief...

Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans

Jason Farago — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:46:01 CDT

Dmitry Medvedev has warned former Soviet states not to join NATO, claiming that their membership would threaten the stability of the region. Georgia and Ukraine are angling to join the military alliance and have received strong support from the US. But in an interview with the Financial Times , Russia's incoming...

Industrial Spying Charges Deepen Russia-UK Flap

Michael Quinn — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:43:51 CDT

Two brothers, one with ties to a UK-Russia joint oil venture, have been arrested in Moscow and accused of industrial espionage, the BBC reports. Ilya and Alexander Zaslavsky were charged after yesterday's raid on oil giant TNK-BP, but analysts say Russia's interest in the matter goes beyond spying, as the...

UK-Russia Relations Remain Frosty

Jason Farago — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:20:35 CST

As Gordon Brown extended only the most cursory congratulations to Dmitry Medvedev yesterday, the frozen diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain seem unlikely to thaw, reports the Times of London. The UK prime minister sent a letter rather than making the usual phone call to a president-elect, and he pointedly...